Study of Variability in Fenugreek: Association Analysis and Selection Indices under Timely and Late Sown Conditions

Spices and condiments are defined as “natural plants or vegetable product or mixture of thereof,used in whole or ground form, mainly for imparting flavor, aroma and pungency to food”.Fenugreek which is actually a legume is used throughout India for its distinctive flavor and for its wonderful healthful properties. It has been reported to have medicinal values to prevent constipation,remove indigestion and stimulate spleen and liver dueto its complex chemical composition, fenugreek seeds have numerous pharmacological properties. Improvement in seedyield could be achieved through selection of component characters influencing yield. An understanding of the trait association of component traits with yield and their direct effects in path analysis is important for effective selection of traits for high yield,but the estimates of correlation coefficients and pathcoefficients are subjected to change by the environments in which the crop is grown. Therefor, this present investigation was undertaken to study the genotypic and phenotypic correlation coefficient of component characters with seedyield and their direct effects in pathanalysis in a population of different genotypes of fenugreek.