Study on Relationships between Yield and its Components in Iranian Cantaloupe Genotypes

Study on relationships between yield and its components will improve the efficiency of a breeding program with appropriate selection criteria. In this study، interrelationships between yield and its components in cantaloupe were investigated using sequential path coefficient analysis. To determine important components of yield in cantaloupe، 49 genotypes generated from 7 × 7 diallel، were evaluated in α-lattice design with 3 replications. The highest coefficient correlation was obtained between fruit weight and fruit number with yield. Sequential stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to organize the predictor variables into first، second and third order paths based on their respective contributions to the total variation of yield and minimum collinearity. Based on the variance inflation factor and magnitude of direct effects، average of fruits weight and number of fruit per plant were considered as first order variables and accounted for 96 percent of total variation of yield. The t-test of significance، using standard error values، obtained through bootstrap resampling، indicating that all direct effects were significant. The results also indicated that both two traits of average of fruits weight and number of fruit per plant could be considered as selection criterion in selecting for increased yield in cantaloupe.