International Journal of Biotechnology Research Vol. 9(1), pp. 001-008, March, 2025 ISSN 2328-3505 ©2025 Academe Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Genetic Analysis of Fruit Yield and Related Traits in Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) Genotypes Using Morphological and SSR Markers

ADEWUSI, O.F.

Department Of Biotechnology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State

Corresponding author. E-mail: ofadewusi@gmail.com Tel. 08101109482

Accepted 6 March, 2025

Abstract
This study investigated the genetic variation in fruit yield and related traits among eight Abelmoschus esculentus genotypes using both morphological traits and Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. The genotypes were obtained from the National Center for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), Ibadan, and evaluated at the Teaching and Research Farm, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among genotypes for most traits. Phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) were consistently higher than genotypic coefficients of variation (GCV), indicating environmental influence on trait expression. Heritability estimates ranged from 4.78% to 68.81%, with high genetic advance observed for most traits, particularly plant height at flowering, days to maturity, and fruit length, suggesting additive gene action. Among the eight SSR markers used, four (OKRA104, OKRA105, OKRA108, and OKRA111) were highly polymorphic and informative, indicating their utility in diversity analysis and marker-assisted selection. Genotypes NGB00303, NGB00323, and NGB00324 exhibited superior performance in fruit yield and could serve as promising donor parents in okra breeding programs. Conversely, OKRA112 showed limited polymorphism and is not recommended for diversity studies in okra. These findings contribute to the identification of high-yielding genotypes and effective molecular tools for okra improvement.

Keywords: Okra, Genetic variability, Fruit yield, SSR markers, Morphological traits, Heritability