Genetic variability and correlation study in Acacia catechu seed source in Himachal Pradesh

The present study was conducted in Himachal Pradesh to estimate the genetic variability for the phenotypic characters, seed traits and nursery traits of Acacia catechu selected from ten different seed sources. Seedling height, number of branches, tree diameter and seed germination had high coefficient of variability, heritability and genetic advance indicating importance of these characters for selection purposes. Nursery characters had high heritability, genetic advance and genetic gain suggesting their importance for the success of improvement through selection. Environmental, genotypic and phenotypic correlations for all possible pairs have also been discussed. Following Euclidean cluster analysis, all the seed sources were grouped in to three clusters.