Division of Transfer of Technology, Indian Lac Research Institute, Namkum, Ranchi-834 010, Bihar, (India).
1Division of Lac Production, Indian Lac Research Institute, Namkum, Ranchi-834010, Bihar, (India).
Lac insect stocks collected from different localities and host plant species were studied for their performance in respect of five productivity linked female traits, viz., life period, fecundity, dry cell weight, diameter of the cell, and rate of sticklac production during the rainy crop season on Flemingia macrophylla by determining inter-trait correlation for the former four traits as well as estimating genetic variance and heritability (in broad sense) for all the five traits. A highly significant positive correlation between the cell weight and life period, cell weight and diameter of cell, fecundity and diameter of cell, as well as life period and diameter of cell was established. On the other hand, non significant correlation of fecundity with cell weight and life period was recorded. The variations ranging from 11 1.44 to 162.04 days for life period, 292 to 540.2 numbers of young ones for fecundity, 9.052 to 25.90 mg for dry cell weight, 3.89 to 4.51 mm for diameter and 0.076 to 0.164 mg/day for the rate of sticklac production were highly significant. Estimates of genetic variations were 13.43, 10.73 44.01, 5.35 and 25.159; and heritability in broad sense as 82.94, 65.95, 91.36, 12.45 and 61.384 per cent, respectively for these live traits.
