Genetic characterization and association analysis of carrot (Daucus carota L.) germplasm for crop enhancement and sustainable agriculture Lone* Sameena1,*, Narayan Sumati1, Hussain Khursheed1, Masoodi Khalid Z.2, Khan F.A.3, Malik M.A.4, Yadav S.K.5, Nazir Nageena6, Wani Owais Ali7 1Division of Vegetable Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar–190025, J&K 2Division of Plant Biotechnology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar–190025, J&K 3Division of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar–190025, J&K 4Directorate of Education, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar–190025, J&K 5National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi–110012 6Division of Agricultural Statistics, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar–190025, J&K 7Division of Soil Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar–190025, J&K *Corresponding author email id: sameenalone77@gmail.com
Online Published on 30 March, 2024. Abstract In the year 2021 and 2022, fifty-two elite carrot lines were tested using an augmented block design in the Vegetable Experimental Farm, Division of Vegetable Science, SKUAST-Kashmir, Shalimar, India. Data was collected on plant height (cm), leaf length (cm), leaf width (cm), petiole length (cm), root length (cm), root diameter (cm), average root weight (g), days to first root harvest, days to last root harvest, and root yield per hectare hectare−1 (q). The phenotypic and genotypic variances and the coefficients of variation for phenotypic, genotypic, and environmental factors were determined using the mean values. In addition, bsH and GAM for each trait were computed. Notably, significant variations were observed across all the measured characteristics. Root yield per hectare was found positively correlated with plant height, leaf length, leaf width, root length, root diameter, and average weight of roots. The coefficient of variation was low for all the traits, ranging from 0.054 to 0.383 during the rabi season 2021 and 0.053 to 0.381 during the rabi season 2022, respectively. PCV was slightly greater than GCV, and there was a higher heritability along with a substantial GAM. Additionally, the genotypic correlation coefficients were higher than their phenotypic counterparts, indicating that additive genetic factors played a significant role on the observed genetic associations, while environmental effects had minimal impact. In conclusion, the genotypes examined in this study exhibited valuable traits, suggesting that they should be included in breeding programs aiming at developing high-yielding superior carrot varieties suitable for crop enhancement and sustainable agriculture. Top Keywords Elite lines, Phenotypic and genotypic variances, Correlation, Heritability, Genetic Advance, Additive genes, Crop enhancement, Sustainable agriculture. Top |