EVALUATION OF GENETIC VARIABILITY, HERITABILITY AND GENETIC ADVANCE AMONG THE DIFFERENT YIELD AND QUALITY CHARACTERS OF CHILLI (CAPSICUM ANNUUM L.)

The present study was conducted to assess the extent of genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) for yield and quality-related traits. The experimental material consisted of 10 diverse parental genotypes, their 45 half-diallel F1 crosses and corresponding F2 progenies, evaluated during rabi 2024-25. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among parents, F1s and F2s, indicating the presence of ample genetic variability. Estimates of genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation suggested that yield per plant, fruit length, fruit rot incidence and leaf curl virus incidence exhibited high variability, whereas traits like fruit width, ascorbic acid content and number of branches showed moderate variation. In general, phenotypic coefficients were slightly higher than genotypic. Broad-sense heritability was high for traits such as fruit weight, plant height, number of seeds per fruit, oleoresin content and fruit yield per plant, suggesting reliable transmission of these characters. Genetic advance as percentage of mean was also high for fruit yield, fruit length, fruit rot incidence and leaf curl virus incidence, implying that these traits are largely governed by additive gene action and can respond effectively to selection. Overall, the findings indicate that selection based on yield per plant, fruit length, fruit weight, and resistance-related traits such as fruit rot and leaf curl virus incidence could be highly effective in improving chilli. The study provides useful genetic information to guide breeders in developing high-yielding and quality-rich chilli cultivars suitable for diverse growing environments.