Study of heritability, genetic advance and variability in scoparia dulcis L.

Individual organisms can alter their development, physiology and life history depending on environmental conditions. These environmental responses are both trait and resource specific, and represent evolved characteristics that vary among genotypes, populations and species.1 The capacity of genotype to express different phenotypes in different environments, phenotypic plasticity and for any crop improvement it depends on magnitude of genetic variability present in base population.2 Environmental effects influence the total observable variations of quantitative traits. Therefore, partitioning of overall variance due to genetic and non–genetic causes becomes necessary for effective breeding programme. The genotypic coefficient of variation estimates the heritable variability, whereas phenotypic component measures the role of environment on the genotype. High phenotypic coefficient of variation and low genotypic coefficient of variation for a character indicated high influence of environment in its expression. The phenomenon of transmission of characters from parents to offspring is usually measured in terms of heritability. Therefore the estimates of heritability and genetic advance would help to formulate a sound breeding programme. The heritability, genetic advance and variability of the medicinally important plant Scoparia dulcis L. of the family Plantaginaceae was studied presently.