Agrotechnology

Genetic correlation studies in Heliconia genotypes

2^nd International Conference on Agricultural & Horticultural Sciences

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Hyderabad, India February 03-05, 2014

Pavan Kumar P and T. Janakiram

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Agrotechnol

Abstract:

Heliconias ( Heliconia spp. ) are emerging speciality cut flower plants of princely dimensions grown for their attractive foliage and brilliant flower spikes. They are known as lobsters claw, parrots flower, parrots plantain and false plantains. The heliconias are gaining importance in both domestic and international market due to their diversity in both colour and form. Its brilliant colours, exotic form long peduncles and excellent post harvest characteristics make it as an outstanding flower for the florist trade. These are mostly grown for cut flowers, potted plant as well as interior decoration. All possible phenotypic and genotypic correlation studies were carried out to know the nature of relationship existing between growth and flowering characters in eighteen cultivars. The genotypic and phenotypic correlation coefficients were worked out for ten parameters, viz., plant height, leaf length, leaf width, number of leaves per sucker, number of leaves per sq. m, spike length, stalk length, number of bracts, bract length and number of flowers per bract. Genotypic correlations were higher than phenotypic correlations. Correlation revealed that spike length had a strong positive and significant correlation with stalk length, leaf width, plant height, leaf length and flowers per bract both at genotypic and phenotypic levels. This indicates that indirect selection of anyone of these characters leads to increase the cut flower yield in heliconia.

Biography :

Pavan Kumar P is a Ph.D. Scholar at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. He completed his masters in Horticulture (Floriculture and Landscaping) from UAS, GKVK, Bangalore. His area of interest is genetic and tissue culture studies in Heliconia. At present he is working on Studies on morphological and molecular diversity for identification in bougainvillea cultivars. He has 5 national publications from his work.