Genetic variability, heritability and trait association study in sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

The investigation evaluated genetic variation, trait heritability, and correlation among nine sweet pepper genotypes. Noteworthy distinctions were across the genotypes. SWP05 exhibited early maturity, requiring only 95 days to the first harvest. SPW07 exhibited the highest fruit yield (0.98 kg plant-1), followed by SWP02 (0.87 kg plant-1). The highest genotypic and phenotypic variation coefficients were for fruit length (31.54 % and 34.56 %). Fruit width (85.58 %), fruit length (83.52 %), and days to first harvest (73.50 %) exhibited notably high heritability estimates, suggesting that environmental factors had little influence on these traits. A significant positive correlation was detected between the fruit count per plant and fruit yield (r = 0.81), as well as between plant height and fruit yield (r = 0.65). Individual fruit mass is positively correlated with both plant height (r = 0.59) and fruit breadth (r = 0.59). However, fruit length and fruit breadth were negatively correlated (r = -0.70). These findings indicate that the high heritability of fruit dimensions (> 83%) and the strong positive correlations (r = 0.59) among yield-contributing traits offer reliable selection criteria for future sweet pepper crop improvement.