Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2017) 6(8): 1857-1863 1857 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.608.219 Studies on Genetic Variability, Heritability and Genetic Advance in Pointed Gourd (Trichosanthes dioica Roxb.) Anil Kumar Jena * , T. Suseela, T.S.K.K. Kiran Patro and R.V. Sujatha College of Horticulture, Dr. Y.S.R.H.U, Venkataramannagudem, West Godavari (Dist.) - 534 101, Andhra Pradesh, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction The pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica Roxb.) which is popularly known as parwal or patal holds a coveted position in the vegetable market of our country. It is one of the most important cucurbit vegetables in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, particularly in India. It is a perennial and dioecious vegetable grown as vine with a pencil thickness stem. It is widely cultivated in Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Uttar Pradesh. Recently, it has been introduced in and around Hyderabad and Bangalore. The crop is cultivated over an area of 16,000 hectares in India with a production of 2, 43,000 tonnes per hectare (NHB, 2015). Pointed gourd is referred as king of gourds because of its higher nutrient content. The fruits are rich in vitamin A, protein and minerals. It is easily digestible, diuretic, and laxative, invigorates the heart and brain and is useful in the disorder of the circulatory system (Malek, 2009). The assessment of variability present in any crop species is an essential pre-requisite for International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 8 (2017) pp. 1857-1863 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Twenty two pointed gourd genotypes were evaluated during Kharif of 2016-17 at College of Horticulture, Dr. Y. S. R. Horticultural University, Venkataramannagudem, West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. The objective was to estimate the nature and magnitude of genetic variability, heritability and genetic gain for seventeen important characters. Analysis of variance revealed presence of considerable variability among the genotypes for all seventeen characters. The magnitude of PCV was higher than the corresponding GCV for all the characters studied. Among the characters studied, high PCV and GCV were observed for characters like observed fruit weight (g), pulp weight per fruit (g), pulp seed ratio, number of seeds per fruit, seed weight per fruit, internodal length and fruit yield (t/ha) indicating high variability available in the germplasm for these characters for further improvement. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for characters number of nodes per vine, internodal length, node at which first female flower appeared, fruit length, fruit weight, pulp weight per fruit, pulp seed ratio, number of fruits per plant, fruit yield, number of seeds per fruit, seeds weight per fruit These confirm presence of sufficient variability in the germplasm, predominance of additive gene action and high transmissibility of the characters. Therefore, direct selection will be rewarding depending upon these traits. Hence, hybridization followed by selection will be promising for improving these traits. Keywords Pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica), Genetic variability, Heritability, Genetic advance. Accepted: 19 June 2017 Available Online: 10 August 2017 Article Info