Evaluation of CGMS-based chilli F1 hybrids for morphometric, fruit quality and yield traits

Abstract

Chilli is a significant vegetable cum spice crop having broader applications in the food, phytogenic feed, cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical industries. To meet the demand, there is a need to develop F1 hybrids with tolerance resistance to major threatening diseases and higher yields. The present investigation was conducted to study the diversity of morphometric, fruit quality and yield traits and their reaction to chilli leaf curl disease among thirteen CGMS-based high-yielding F1 hybrids. The hybrids Arka Nihira, Arka Yashasvi, H-25, H-26, and Arka Tanvi excelled for most of the traits contributing to yield enhancement. The yield increment potential in these hybrids is attributed to high morphometric and fruit biometric. In relation to the local check (HPH-3351),hybrid Arka Nihira exhibited enhanced green fruit yield by about sixty-two per cent. The cluster plot partitioned these hybrids into four primary groups, revealing genetic similarities and differences among the hybrids. Further, a character association study indicates that traits such as days to 50 per cent flowering, plant spread, fruit girth, and the number of fruits per plant can be leveraged as indirect selection indices for green fruit yield while selecting a commercial hybrid cultivar in chilli breeding programs. The hybrids, Arka Nihira and Arka Tanvi, in particular, have the potential to be commercial cultivars in terms of yield, agronomic characteristics, and leafcurl disease tolerance in shallow basaltic soils of the Deccan plateau of India.