Morphological analyses define the Genetic Diversity of Indian bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.)

Abstract

Twenty five diverse bitter gourd genotypes were collected from different part of India and grown in a randomized block design (RBD) with three replications at Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi (U.P.) during the summer seasons of 2009-2010. There were significant differences among the genotypes for the traits examined. A wide range of variation was observed for all characters which represents the variation was high and genotypes were rich in diversity. The wide variation in these yield related traits will be useful for selecting best genotypes with high yield. The long sized fruits with wide diameter generally consisted more number of seeds as compare to normal and small fruited genotypes because it consisted more space for seed development within the flesh. Cluster analysis of 25 genotypes based on 10 quantitative traits was indicated that all the genotypes were resolved into two major clusters. The genotypes from these distant clusters may be used in crop improvement programmes to produce populations with wide variability with transgressive segregants possessing high yielding and nutrition rich fruits.