Studies on Genetic Variability in Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Abstract

The success of any plant breeding program largely depends on the presence of sufficient genetic variability within the crop species. Assessing the extent of variability among different cross combinations provides valuable insight into the genetic diversity available for selection. A field experiment had been conducted to obtain information on genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for seed yield and associated characters by using forty diverse genotypes. The analysis of variance revealed the significant differences among the genotypes for all the traits indicating presence of sufficient variability among the genotypes for various traits. High estimate of genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation were observed for seed yield per plant, hull content and head diameter. While, high heritability coupled with high genetic advance observed for plant height, head diameter, 100 seed weight, volume weight, seed yield per plant, hull content and oil content indicated that selection may be effective for improving these characters in the studied genotypes. The highest genetic advance in absolute terms was recorded for plant height and seed yield per plant suggesting substantial scope for improvement through selection. High heritability estimates accompanied with high genetic advance as a percentage of the mean were observed for traits such as seed yield per plant, plant height, head diameter, 100 seed weight and oil content.