Character Association and Path Coefficient Analysis for Yield and its Component Traits in Ridge Gourd [Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.] Genotypes

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out during kharif (July–October, 2025) at the Agricultural Research Station, Kalloli, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad with an aim to assess character association and to determine the direct and indirect effects of yield contributing traits on fruit yield vine^-1 of twenty seven genotypes of ridge gourd. The results revealed that genotypic correlation and path coefficients were generally higher than their corresponding phenotypic values, indicating minimal environmental influence and strong inherent association among the traits. Correlation analysis showed that fruit yield vine^-1 was positively and significantly associated with average fruit weight, number of fruits vine^-1, fruit length and fruit diameter, whereas days to first fruit harvest exhibited a negative association, indicating the advantage of early maturity. Among the yield contributing traits, average fruit weight (0.966) and number of fruits vine^-1 (0.945) recorded the highest positive genotypic correlations with fruit yield. Path coefficient analysis further revealed that average fruit weight (0.7483) and number of fruits vine^-1 (0.3414) exerted high positive direct effects on yield along with strong positive correlation, confirming their major role in yield determination. Hence, from the current study it was concluded that number of fruits vine^-1 and fruit weight were the most important yield contributing traits and selection based on these characters would be effective for improving fruit yield in ridge gourd.