Genetic variability and correlation analysis of some quantitative traits in cucumber,

Fifteen cucumber genotypes were tested in the present study. Some genetic parameters, as well as simple correlation coefficients, were studied among internode length “IL”, vine length “VL”, number of days to the first male flower “NDMF”, number of days to female flower “NDFF”, ovary length “OL”, number of branches “NB”, fruit length “FL” fruit girth “FG”, total number of fruits /20 plants “TFN/P”, and total fruit weight per 20 plants “TFW/P”. Values of phenotypic and genetic coefficients of variation were low for vine length, internode length, ovary length, and medium for days to first male flower, fruit girth.
Broad sense heritability values were high for fruit length and medium for days to the first female flower, fruit girth, ovary length, and vine length. Out of 45 estimated correlation coefficients, 8 were statistically significant. The highest magnitude was between total number of fruits per plant and total fruit weight per plant (r=832^**) followed by days to the first female flower and fruit length (r=0.414^**). Also, vine length correlated significantly with the total number of fruits per plant and total fruit weight per plant. Total number of fruit per plant showed highly significant and positive correlation with picking numbers 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 18 in the first season. In the second season, it was highly significant with picking numbers; 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12 and 13. But in the third season, it was highly significant with all picking times except number 7. Fruit weight  per plant was correlated significantly with picking number 3, 5, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 18 in the first season and with picking numbers 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 13 in the third season, it was highly significant with all picking times, except number three. These results indicate that the number of fruits per plant was the most important character for improving and evaluating cucumber genotypes. Evaluation may be done at an early stage of harvest decrease the evaluation experiments cost but care should be taken since the obtained results showed inconsistency