Character association and path coefficient analysis of yield and yield related traits in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench)

Sixty eight okra accessions were used for the evaluation of character association and direct and indirect effects of pod yield and yield-related traits in okra. The experiments were laid out at Horticulture Research Centre, SVP University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut (U.P.) during the year 2014–15 and 2015–16 respectively. The character association analysis of pooled data revealed that pod yield per plant showed positive correlation with plant height (0.171, 0.121), number of fruits per plant (0.331, 0.098), fruit width (0.228,0.103), number of branches per plant (0.436, 0.135), number of nodes per plant (0.077, 0.034) and number of first fruiting node (0.276, 0.095) at both genotypic and phenotype levels, respectively. The maximum direct positive correlation on pod yield per plant showed by number of fruits per plant (0.108), plant height (0.084), fruit width (0.084), number of branches per plant (0.059) and number of nodes per plant (0.029) at phenotypic levels. The characters like plant height, number of fruit per plant and number of branches per plant showed that they are the most important pod yield determinants, because of their high direct and indirect effects via many other yields improving characters. The study indicated that these characters can be used as key traits for improving the pod yield of okra.