Genetic Variability of Fresh Fruit Bunch Yield (FFB) Yield in Some Dura X Pisifera Breeding Populations of Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.)

2015

english

Three Dura x Pisifera Oil Palm breeding populations were evaluated at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR)-Oil Palm Research Institute(OPRI), Ghana to estimate the genetic variability,heritability, relative genetic gains and correlation among the fresh bunch yield traits. Population 1, 2 and 3 consisted of 7 Dura x Pisifera (DxP), 8 dura x pisifera and 8 dura x pisifera progenies, respectively. Combined analysis of variance showed significant genotypic and year differences for number of bunches (BN), average bunch weight (ABW) and fresh fruit bunch yield (FFB). There was however no significant difference between genotypes by year interaction for all the traits studied. High broad-sense heritability and genetic advance as percent of the mean were observed for all the three traits, suggesting that the trait is primarily under genetic control. In all the genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) was less than the phenotypic coefficient of variation(PCV), but the differences were narrow suggesting resistances to environmental variation in the expression of these traits. Correlation among the traits indicates a significant positive correlation. There is wide variability based on the FFB and its components. This provides more range for selection among the three populations for FFB yield enhancement.

Sapey, E.; Peprah, B. B.; Adusei-Fosu, K.; Agyei-Dwarko, D