Character association and path analysis studies in some gentoypes of brinjal (Solanum melongena L) under low hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh

Present investigations included character association among twenty brinjal (Solanum melongena L) genotypes for the fifteen quantitative traits viz days to 50 per cent flowering, days to first picking, pedicel length, fruit length, fruit diameter, average fruit weight, number of marketable fruits per plant, total soluble solids, number of primary branches per plant, plant height, stem diameter, plant spread, number of seeds per fruit, 100-seed weight and marketable fruit yield per plant. The results revealed that the traits days to 50 per cent flowering, number of marketable fruits per plant and stem diameter had positive and significant correlation for marketable fruit yield per plant. Path analysis study reported that the highest positive direct effect was exhibited by the trait marketable fruit yield per plant through number of marketable fruits per plant followed by fruit diameter on the marketable fruit yield per plant. Hence these traits were found to be important for the selection of desirable and superior genotypes of brinjal with high marketable fruit yield per plant.