Estimates of genetic variability, correlation and path analysis for yield and yield contributing traits in bell pepper

The objective of the current investigation was to explain the genotypic variability associated to distinct characteristics across 26 different bell pepper genotypes. The findings revealed a statistically significant variation among the assessed genotypes, signifying their suitability for subsequent hybridization breeding programmes within bell pepper breeding programs. For characteristics such as fruit yield per plant (27.35, 27.10) and number of seeds per fruit (35.00, 34.87), the phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) were high. Higher heritability was observed in other characteristics such as days to first picking (83.29), plant height (97.50), fruit length (97.90) and fruit breadth (97.00), number of fruits per plant (91.30), number of lobes per fruit (83.80), pericarp thickness (88.20), fruit weight (97.00), number of seeds per fruit (99.30), fruit yield per plant (98.20), and ascorbic acid (97.50). UHF CAP-13 and UHF CAP-1 were highest yield contributing genotypes primarily on account of either a greater number of fruit and increased fruit length, breadth and weigh and longer harvest durations. Among the above parameters number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit breadth and fruit weight had proved highly significant positive correlations with the fruit yield per plant.