Selection indices for fruit yield improvement in elite cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cultivars

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is an important vegetable crop, rich in vitamins and minerals and eaten fresh as a dessert. Its fruit yield is relatively low, though could be improved through knowledge of character association with it and selection of desirable materials for improvement programmes. Fifteen cultivars of Cucumber were evaluated at two locations (Abeokuta and Ibadan), South West, Nigeria in a randomized complete block design with three replicates in order to determine heritability, correlation, direct and indirect effects of characters on fruit yield. Data collected on agro-morphological characters were subjected to analysis of variance, estimates of heritability, correlation, and path analysis. Significant variations (p <0.05) were observed in the cultivars. High heritability estimates (>90%) was observed for fruit length at both locations. A significant phenotypic and genotypic correlation was observed between fruit yield and fruit weight. Number of days to 50% flowering and fruit width could also be selected directly for improvement of fruit yield in cucumber.