Character Association and Path Coefficient Studies in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.): Experimental Investigation

Thirty two cucumber genotypes were collected from different states of India and were evaluated for yield and quality characters at Bhubaneswar, Odisha during Rabi season of 2019. The relationships between fruit yield and yield components in cucumber genotypes were investigated and correlation studies revealed that yield per plant had positive and significant association with vine length, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and average fruit weight, while significant negative correlations were observed with node at which first female flower appears, number of days to first female flower production, days to first harvest and severity of downy mildew percentage both at phenotypic and genotypic levels. Path coefficient analysis revealed that fruit diameter had maximum positive direct effect on yield per plant followed by fruit length, number of fruits per plant, days to first harvest, average fruit weight while, negative direct effect of number of days to first female flower production and severity of downy mildew percentage was observed on yield per plant. Future breeding should focus on selecting the characters having direct effects to improve yield per plant.