Correlation and Path Coefficient Analysis of Fruit Yield Attributes in Forty Genotypes of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)

Farmers and plant breeders are often faced with the problem of selecting the best genotypes of okra as a result of lack of adequate knowledge of association among yield and its component characters which has led to the inefficiency of crop improvement. Efficient selection in any breeding programme will not only depend on yield alone but on yield together with other yield components. Based on this fact, this research was carried out on forty genotypes of okra to determine the association of different agronomic characters with pod yield and their direct and indirect effects on pod yield so as to select the best genotype for further breeding work. The seed of each genotype was sown in a plot laid out in randomised complete block design with three replications, and data were collected on fourteen agronomic characters and analysed. Pod yield per plant had highly significant and positive genotypic and phenotypic correlations with plant height, number of leaves, petiole length, internode length, plant height at flowering, peduncle length, fruit length, fruit diameter, number of seeds and number of pods, indicating that pod yield in okra could be a function of these traits. Highly significant, negative genotypic and phenotypic correlations were observed for pod yield per plant with days to 50% flowering and days to maturity, suggesting that early flowering and maturity are desirable traits for improved productivity in okra. Path coefficient analysis revealed that number of pod per plant had the highest positive direct effect on pod yield per plant with its largest indirect effect with days to 50% flowering and reduction in days to maturity. Due to close associations among these traits, they could be used as basis of selection when high yield is the breeding objective.