Author(s):
Ashfaq Anvarbadasha Hadli, KM Yuvaraj, B Srinivasulu, M Jayaprada, Y Deepthi Kiran and D Mastan Vali
Abstract:
In the present investigation, sixteen fennel varieties were evaluated at the Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Crops at the College of Horticulture, Anantharajupeta, Dr. Y.S.R. Horticultural University, Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh during rabi season, 2019-20 for variability, heritability and genetic advancement in nineteen traits, such as plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, days to first flowering, days to 50 percent flowering, days to maturity, number of umbels per plant, number of umbellets per umbel, number of seeds per umbellet, number of seeds per umbel, fresh weight of umbel (g), dry weight of umbel (g), fresh weight of the plant at harvest (g), dry weight of the plant at harvest (g), seed yield per plant (g), seed yield per plot (g), seed yield per hectare (Kg/ha), harvest index (%) and test weight (g). The studies on variation showed that, there was a significant amount of variability in the material. Phenotypic coefficients of variants are of a degree greater than those of the genotypic coefficient of variation for test weight and days to maturity. The maximum PCV and GCV were observed for number of seeds per umbel (20.24 & 21.16 % respectively) and seed yield per plot (16.59 and 16.22%). High estimates of heritability were observed for number of seeds per umbel (99.20%) followed by seed yield per hectare (98.85%), seed yield per plot (96.50%), seed yield per plant (95.61%), number of umbels per plant (87.19%), number of umbellets per umbel (86.43%) and number of primary branches per plant (86.27%) and it was recorded medium for days to first flowering (57.19%) and days to fifty percent flowering (50.86%). High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percentage of mean for traits like number of seeds per umbel and seed yield per plant indicated that selection for improving these characters will be more effective as these characters are governed by additive gene action.