EFFECT OF SELECTION CYCLES ON ASSOCIATIONS AMONG SUGAR YIELD AND ITS COMPONENTS IN SUGARBEET (BETA VULGARIS L.)

Abstract

In sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) continuous improvement of yield depends upon the accuracy and ease with which superior genotypes can be identified. Since root yield is negatively associated with sucrose percentage [1,2], it is imperative that selection is done on the basis of higher sucrose with optimum root yield. In the integrated structure of the plant, various characters are inter-related with each other either directly or indirectly. Therefore, selections made for one characters may lead to correlated response in the other. In this background, study of character correlations in populations subjected to various cycles of selection becomes more relevant.