ASSESMENT OF GENETIC DIVERSITY ON THE BASE OF MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS AMONG ELITE GENOTYPES OF WATERMELON (Citrullus SP.) IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a lucrative vegetable crop with flesh enjoyed by millions of people worldwide. Total production of watermelon is 110 MT (million tonnes) worldwide, with China being the largest producer, accounting for 60% of total production, followed by Iran and Turkey. The genetic diversity in existed in watermelon enabled it to grow all over the world. The experiment conducted in Vegetable Research Station Sahiwal for two years 2021-2022 to assess the genetic diversity. Six different watermelon varieties tested for genetic variation. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The data were recorded include main vine length, branch number, fruit number, fruit weight (kg) rind thickness and seed number. The ANOVA confirmed significant variation between them. The cluster analysis identified genotypes with similarities and variations. The cluster analysis revealed a diversity (54-42%) to (8-27%) among watermelon cultivars. The PCs analysis revealed 68% and 29% of total variation in traits.