Genetic Variability and Character Association for Yield and Related Traits in Garden Pea (Pisum sativum var. hortense L.) under Semi-Arid Conditions of Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Garden pea (Pisum sativum var. hortense L.) is an important vegetable legume whose yield and quality are influenced by several growth, flowering, and yield-related traits. Under the semi-arid conditions of Rajasthan, environmental constraints can affect the expression of these traits and overall productivity. Therefore, assessing genetic variability, trait associations, and genetic divergence is important for identifying useful selection criteria and promising genotypes for crop improvement. The present study was conducted to evaluate the genetic variability, character association, path coefficient analysis and genetic divergence among twelve garden pea (Pisum sativum var. hortense L.) genotypes under the semi-arid conditions of Rajasthan. The experiment was carried out during the Rabi season of 2025–26 at the Research Farm, School of Agriculture Science, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, using a randomised block design with three replications. Observations were recorded on growth, flowering, yield and quality traits, and the data were subjected to analysis of variance, estimation of genetic parameters, correlation analysis, path coefficient analysis and Mahalanobis D² statistics. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among the genotypes for the traits studied, indicating the presence of substantial genetic variability. High genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation coupled with high heritability and genetic advance as a percentage of the mean were observed for number of pods per plant, average pod yield, fresh weight, dry weight, number of branches and pod length, indicating considerable scope for effective selection. Average pod yield exhibited significant positive associations with number of pods per plant, fresh weight, dry weight, plant height, number of branches, pod length, total soluble solids and protein content, whereas flowering traits showed negative associations. Path coefficient analysis revealed that plant height, number of branches at 60 DAS, fresh weight, number of pods per plant and pod length contributed directly or indirectly to average pod yield, indicating their importance as selection criteria. Mahalanobis D² analysis grouped the twelve genotypes into three distinct clusters, reflecting considerable genetic divergence among the evaluated genotypes. The study demonstrated the presence of substantial genetic variability and identified important yield-associated traits that can be effectively utilised for selection and the development of high-yielding and quality-rich garden pea cultivars adapted to the semi-arid conditions of Rajasthan.