Genetic variability studies for yield and yield attributing traits in mulberry (Morus spp.) genotypes under temperate conditions of Kashmir

The present study was carried out with 25 genotypes of mulberry (Morus spp.) under temperate conditions. Estimation of the genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance and correlation analysis in the set of twenty five (25) mulberry genotypes revealed that all the characters exhibited large amount of variability. The high amount of GCV and PCV was observed for fruit yield plant^-1, followed by leaf yield plant^-1. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was recorded for the character fruit yield plant^-1, followed by leaf size (sq.cm) suggesting the higher genetic control over these traits. The correlation studies indicated that the leaf yield plant^-1 had positive correlation with all the traits. However, significant positive correlation was observed between inter-nodal distance, fruit length, fruit width and shoot thickness. The genetic variability present in the set of breeding material shall not only provide a basis for selection but also provide some valuable information regarding selection of diverse parents to be used in the hybridization programme. Hence, In the present study, significant number of differences were observed in the studied genotypes for all the characteristics which gave an insight into the existence of genetic variation in the available genotypes and thus there is a great scope for selection and further improvement of Morus spp. In terms of quality and quantity.