Abstract
Genotypic and phenotypic variances, genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation and heritability were estimated for 15 agronomic characters in okra for two seasons, using 30 okra lines of diverse origin. Considerable differences were observed for some characters in the two seasons. Pod yield plant-1, number of leaves plant-1 and number of pods plant-1 showed seasonal differences; they showed considerable variation during the early season, but in the late season this was not significant. Number of branches plant-1 did not show any appreciable response or variation during the two seasons. The estimates of genotypic coefficient of variation (gcv) in the two seasons we.re close in many cases. The gcv values ranged from 46. 7% for number of pods plant-1 in the early season to 4.4% for life-span in the late season planting. Heritability estimates ranged from 18.1 % for number of pods plant-1 to 81.5% for length of mature pod during the early season. This study highlighted the significance of genotype-environment interaction in breeding programmes of okra. The relatively large genotypic coefficients of variation and heritability estimates recorded for height at flowering, edible pod length, final plant height, number of seeds pod-1, length of mature pod, were indicative of likely effectiveness of selection for such characters.
