Genotypic Variation among Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) Germplasms in South India

Thirty-six okra germplasms were grown and evaluated for yield and yield related traits at the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Vellayani, Trivandrum, Kerala. The germplasms studied possessed sufficient variability for all the traits. High genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were noticed for almost all characters and narrow difference between GCV and PCV suggest that environmental influence is minimal for the traits studied. High estimates of heritability coupled with high to moderate genetic advance as percent over mean was recorded for all the characters considered. Yield had positive and significant association with number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit girth and number of primary branches indicating that selection based on these characters may improve yield. Principal component analysis indicated that first three principal components contributed for sixty percent total variation among ten characters describing accessions. The cluster analysis revealed that hybridization of cluster I with cluster IV would be beneficial to develop promising varieties under diverse climatic conditions in India.