Correlation and path coefficient studies of growth characters on glucomannan content of eddoe taro ( Colocasia esculenta var antiquorum)

Abstract

Glucomannan is classified as a non-starch polysaccharide and has positively affected health and beauty. The breeding program to create new varieties of taro with high glucomannan content is challenging and requires comprehensive studies to produce high-quality food. This study investigated the characters correlation and direct and indirect responses to glucomannan production in the tuber. The experiment was conducted in three locations with 14 genotypes of Eddoe taro using a full-block design with two replications. Ten characters were evaluated for their correlation to glucomannan, which was accomplished using path analysis for each location experiment and followed by model selection using the backward elimination method. The character of the cormel number always has a positive correlation with the glucomannan variable, either directly or indirectly, with a high value of the path coefficient. On the contrary, the difference between the correlation value and path coefficient for determining the selection criteria was unfulfilled because it was > 0.05, and the residual effect was > 0.61, indicating that this model insufficient to explain more than 60% of the influence of anything other than the standardized independent. According to the study's results, this character doesn't meet the requirements for selection criteria.