BIVARIATE AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS ON THE YIELD AND YIELD CONTRIBUTING CHARACTERS OF TOMATO (Lycopersicon esculentum L.)

Abstract

The experiment was conducted during the period of November 2011 to April 2012 at the experimental form of the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur. It involved 7 varieties of tomato from different local markets in Dinajpur. It was carried out to study their performance, genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance, correlation and path co-efficient analysis of yield and yield contributing characters of the varieties. Data were recorded on days to 50% flowering, fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit weight, plant height, canopy width, number of fruits per plant, 1000- seed weight, shelf life and yield per plant. Highly significant variation for all the characters was observed among the variety studied. It was observed among the variety studied. It was observed that fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit weight, plant height, canopy width, number of fruits per plant, 1000-seed weight, shelf life exhibited high heritability. But days to 50% flowering and yield per plant showed medium heritability. But days to 50% flowering and yield per plant showed medium heritability. High phenotypic variance was observed for fruit diameter, fruit weight, canopy width and number of fruits per plant while high phenotypic co-efficient of variation were observed for fruit weight, canopy width, number of fruits per plant and shelf life. Estimates of genetic advance in percentage of mean where moderate for the characters fruit length, fruit diameter, plant height, 1000-seed weight and yield per plant. Days to 50% flowering showed low and fruit weight, number of fruits per plant, shelf life showed high genetic advance in percentage of mean. Correlation co-efficient indicated that weight of individual fruit had highly significant positive relationship with fruit diameter. The character, canopy width showed a positive and significant relationship with plant height. But Number of fruits per plant and yield per plant exhibited negative and significant relationship with fruit weight and 1000-seed weight. Path co-efficient analysis indicated that among the different yield contributing characters number of fruits per plant and fruit diameter had maximum direct effect on yield per plant. Fruit length had also high direct effect on yield per plant. Fruit length had also high direct effect to yield per plant. The characters days to 50% flowering, fruit weight, plant height, shelf life showed direct positive effect and canopy width and 1000-seed weight exhibited negative direct effect to yield per plant.