Journal of Applied Horticulture. 2003: 5(2): 85-86

Relative selection efficiency for foliage yield and quality characters in vegetable Chenopodium over different cuttings

Atul Bhargava; Sudhir Shukla; Deepak Ohri

Division of Genetics and Plant Breeding, National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow - 226 001, India.

An experiment was conducted during 2002/03 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India to test the suitability of direct and indirect selection for high foliage yield and quality in Chenopodium album over successive cuttings. Thirteen germplasm lines were evaluated for moisture, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoid, fibre, protein and ascorbic acid contents and foliage yield. High heritability and moderate to high genetic advance were observed for all characters, except for moisture content, in all cuttings. Chlorophyll a exhibited the highest correlated response for the first and third cuttings, while fibre content exhibited the highest correlated response for the second cutting. A multiple selection index is suggested to enhance foliage yield. The estimates of correlated response and relative selection efficiencies were in proportion with each other although values for the latter were less than one.