Journal of Crop and Weed 8(1): 86-89 (2012) Genetic variation and character association in fruit yield components and quality characters in brinjal [Solanum melongena L.] C. KARAK, 1 U. RAY, S. AKHTAR, A. NAIK AND P. HAZRA Department of Vegetable Crops, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Nadia, West Bengal 1 Krishi Vignyan Kendra, University of Animal Science and Fishery, Murshidabad, West Bengal Rec eived: 03.12.2011, Revised: 25.04.2012, Accepted: 25.05 .2012 ABSTRACT 171e study was conducted using 70 coll ections of eggplant germp/asm. For growth characters, both phenotypic (PCV) and genotypic (GCV) coefficients of variation corresponded closely, which was reflected by the very high broad sense heritability for most of the characters. Genetic advance as percentage of mean was the highest for mean leaf area followed by leaf area p/anf 1 and leaves planf 1 • Her itability was high for fruit yield and other fruit characters excepting fruit weight. All the characters revealed hi gh genetic advance as percentage of mean. Total phenol content registered the highest GCV showing the widest range (7.26 - 26.14 mg /Ofl 1 gfreshfruit). Genetic advance was high for Iota/ phenol content, moderate for total sugar content, low for crude protein content and very low for moisture content. Most of the characters did not register any significant correlation with fruit yield/plan/. Yield planf 1 had strong positive association with fruits/plan/, leaves/plant and primary branches plant · 1 a1 both phenotypic and genotypic levels. Significantly negative correlation between fruit yield plan/ · 1 and sugar and protein content of fruit and significantly positive correlation between fruit yield plant · 1 and total phenol content of fruit indicated that yield improvement might sacrifice fruit quality traits. Different character associations clearly indicated that big and plump-fruited genotypes were superior in quality. Path analysis indicated fruit weight was one of lite major contributory factors to yield, fruit girth and leaves planf 1 being the ot hers. Fruit number p/anf 1 .fruit weight.fruit girth and leaves planf 1 emerged as the mos/ important fruit yield contributing characters of brinjal and these characters may be used as important selection parameters because of their probable conditioning by additive gene action. Key words: Character association, genetic variation, yield components Eggplant or brinjal [Solanum melongena L.] is the most popular and widely cultivated vegetable crop in the central, southern and Southeast Asia and in some African countries. The crop is extremely variable in India and for this reason, Vavilov (1928) regarded the crop as being of Indian origin. In a strict sense, the question of whether a character is hereditary or influenced by environment has no meaning. The genes cannot cause a character to develop unless they have the proper environment and conversely, no amount of manipulation of the environment will cause a character to develop unless the necessary genes are present. However, it must be recognized that the variability observed in some characters was caused primarily by the differences in the genes carried by the genotypes and that the variability in other characters was due primarily to differences in the environment to which the genotypes have been exposed. So, this study aimed at justifying the real worth of the selection parameters that will be framed through comparative study of genetic variability parameters. Information generated from the studies of character association serve as the most important indicator (plant character) that ought to be considered in the selection programme. Such studies would also help us to know the suitability of multiple characters for indirect selection, because selection for one or more traits resu lts in correlated response in several other traits. The present studies were, therefore, initiated with an objective to determine genetic variability for fruit yield and related attributes along with quality components and their inter- Email: chandangarden@gmail.com relationships in a collection of 70 genotypes of brinjal, over two seasons. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted using 70 collections of eggplant germplasms (10 elite varieties, 16 stable breeding lines developed at different Agricultural Universities and Research Institutes of India and 44 indigenous cultivars of India and Bangladesh) for evaluation in Randomized Block Design, with three replications in autumn- winter season (September- March) at Central Research Farm of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (23°N latitude, 89°E longitude and 9.75m elevation), West Bengal, India. Each plot consisted of 16 plants spaced by 70 cm in 2 rows, 6m long. Five random plants per replication were selected to record observation on each genotype for 9 different growth and reproductive characters. Four proximate compositions of fresh fruits of marketable maturity (15- 25 days after anthesis depending on the genotype) were estimated from composite fruit samples taken from each selected plant of the replication. The samples were first dried in sun, then oven dried at 70°C for 48 hours and the quality constituents of fruit were estimated following standard methods:(i) total sugars by anthrone method (Dubois et al., 1951), (ii) crude protein through estimation of nitrogen by micro- Kjeldahl method (Sadasivam and Manickam, 1996), (iii) total phenols by Folin-ciocalteau reagent method(Bray and Thrope,1954) and expressed on fresh weight basis. Mean data over two years were employed for the estimation of the genotypic (GCV)