Understanding the Genetic Variability for Growth and Leaf Yield of Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.)

Background: Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is a popular herbaceous annual seed spice crop. It is mainly grown for seed as well as green leaf, the leaf and seed yield is varied with the genetic background of genotypes. Therefore, the selection of genotypes with high leaf yield is highly desired, along with the magnitude of heritability and genetic advance for wider adaptation and cultivation. In this view, the accessions were collected and their genetic variables were assessed. Methods: The experimental material included 48 coriander accessions along with two check varieties CO4 and CO5. The plant materials were obtained from the coriander germplasm repository at the Department of Spices and Plantation Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India. The experiment was laid out in Randomised Block Design with two replications. Results: The results of the analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the accessions. High heritability coupled with high GAM was observed for the economical trait (87% and 48.93% for leaf yield) indicating that, the traits were highly heritable in nature, hence selection breeding is most effective. The PCV and GCV were moderate to high for all traits except the number of days for harvest and moisture content among all the accessions of coriander. The leaf yield was highly significant, and positively correlated with all the traits except the number of days for harvest and leaf protein. The genotypic correlation was greater than the phenotypic correlation among the genotypes. Therefore, to increase the seed yield of coriander accessions, either simple selection or mass selection of desirable traits and their associated traits would be effective.