Genetic analysis of variability, heritability and genetic advance in F3 populations of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

The field experiment was carried out by using 46 sunflower progenies of two cross combinations (COSF6B x CMS 335B and COSF7B x 343 B) of F3 generation at Department of Oilseeds, CPBG, TNAU, Coimbatore during kharif 2018 to study the genotypic coefficient of variation, phenotypic coefficient of variation, heritability and genetic advance. The analysis of variance imparted significant differences for all the characters. In the B (maintainer) line development programme, the characters like head diameter, percent disease index (PDI), seed yield per plant, 100 seed weight, volume weight and oil yield in both the populations recorded high heritability associated with high genetic advance, whereas the traits; days to flowering and days to maturity showed low values of GAM in both the populations. The results indicated that the characters with high heritability and high or moderate genetic advance can be further improved with individual plant selection, whereas characters with high heritability and low genetic advance indicated little scope for further improvement through individual plant selection.