Genetic analysis of snake gourd (Trichosanthes anguina L.) germplasms

The present experiment was conducted with 16 germplasms and two varieties of snake gourd. The yield contributing traits such as node order of first male flower, node order of first female flower, days to first male flowering, days to first female flowering, internodal length, days to first harvest, single fruit weight, fruit length, fruit girth, number of fruits per plant, were studied to assess the genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance besides correlation and path coefficient analysis. The study of GCV and PCV in snake gourd germplasms exhibited variability for the traits viz., node order of first male flower, fruit length, number of fruits per plant, single fruit weight and fruit yield per plant including yield characteristics. Heritability and genetic advance as a percentage of mean indicated that the variation is due to a high degree of additive effect and hence the traits can be improved further through selection. Correlation and path analysis results showed that single fruit weight, number of fruits per plant and days to first harvest had a significant positive direct effect on number of fruits per plant. Hence these traits could be considered for yield improvement programmes in snake gourd.