Genetic Variability, Heritability and Genetic Advance in Ridge Gourd (Luffa acutangula L. Ruxb.)

To investigate the genetic variability, heritability in broad sense and genetic advance over mean in the Ridge gourd. The research experiment was conducted during the kharif season, 2021 with two replications in randomized block design. The six generations of three crosses are Cross-I P1 x P2 (Arka Sumeet x Konkan Harita), Cross-II P1 x P3 (Arka Sumeet x Jaipur Long), Cross III P4 x P5 (Saloni-5 x NRG-9) along with five parents are Arka Sumeet, Konkan harita, Jaipur long, Saloni-5 and NRG-9. Asses the variability, heritability (broad sense and genetic advance for yield and yield attributing traits. The higher PCV and GCV showed for the vine length, node number at which first male flower appeared, number of branches vine-1, sex ratio, fruit yield vine-1, number of fruits vine-1 in three crosses whereas, the highest genetic advance over mean along with the highest heritability (broad sense) showed that the vine length, node number at which first male flower and female flowers appeared, number of branches vine-1, number of pickings, fruit length, sex ratio, diameter of fruit, number of fruits per vine, fruit yield per vine, weight of fruit these traits observed in three crosses. Hence, in high variability and heritability accompanying genetic advance over mean to results mentioned the traits included increased possibility of improvement through direct selection, a lower dependence on environmental factors and more control over the additive nature of gene action.