Correlation Studies in Ashwagandha [Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal]
Babulal Dhaka *
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Amit Dadheech
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.
N. K. Padiwal
All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Medicinal and Aromatic plants, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, MPUAT, Udaipur, India.
Raju Ram Choudhary
Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana - 125004, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
In the present study entitled “Variability and Correlation Studies in Ashwagandha [Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal]”, 74 genotypes along with three standard checks viz., JA-20 (Jawahar Asgandh-20), JA-134 (Jawahar Asgandh-134) and RVA-100 were evaluated in augmented RBD design during late kharif 2019-20 at the Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur (Rajasthan).
The observations were recorded on ten randomly selected competitive plants for fifteen characters, viz. days to 50% flowering, days to 75 per cent maturity, plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, leaf area index, root length, root diameter in collar region, fresh root yield per plant, dry root yield per plant, fresh plant weight per plant, dry plant weight per plant, 100 seed weight, harvest index and total alkaloid. Analysis of variance, correlation coefficient and path analysis were performed for the mean data.
The dry root yield per plant exhibited significant and positive correlation with dry plant weight, fresh root yield and harvest index at both genotypic and phenotypic level. While with, root diameter in collar region at genotypic level and fresh plant weight at phenotypic level. Positive and significant correlation among dry root yield per plant and contributing characters would help in indirect selection for dry root yield per plant in the crop like ashwagandha where economic part (dry root yield per plant) remain underground up till uprooting.
Keywords: Ashwagandha, genotypic level, phenotypic level, Analysis of variance, pharmacological effects