LEVEL OF CORRELATIONS BETWEEN BREEDING CHARACTERS IN COLLECTION F1 GENOTYPES OF WATERMELON

Abstract

The aim of the study. To establish the relationship between the main valuable selection traits (duration of the growing season, productive indicators, resistance to diseases and product quality) for the further selection of a strategy for selection improvement of genotypes. The object of research is 17 collection F1 genotypes of watermelon. Methods. General scientific, measuring and weighing, calculating, chemical, statistical. The results. The principles of the formation of correlation pleads in collectible F1 watermelon hybrids were studied over three years of research (2018–2020). It was established that the signs of the components of the growing season usually form clusters, groups with minor exceptions depending on the conditions of the year. In the same way, the signs of yield components form a separate cluster-group with small exceptions depending on the conditions of the year. Disease resistance traits are located separately from others with a weak relationship to the traits – stem formation – fruit set, seedling – stem formation and average marketable fruit weight in F1 genotypes with a strong relationship with each other throughout all the years of research. The trait dry soluble matter content is also located separately from the others with a weak relationship to the traits – and to the traits – total yield and marketable productivity in F1 genotypes according to the years of research. It should be noted the drift of the marketability trait from the galaxy of components of the growing season (2018) to the galaxy of productivity in 2019 and 2020 in F1 collection genotypes. At the same time, resistance to diseases is separated by all years of research, as well as the content of dry soluble matter in fruits. Conclusions. According to the research results, the level of manifestation of relationships between breeding traits, their grouping by groups, and the level of dependence of the direction of their manifestation on cultivation conditions have been established, which will allow more effective development of a strategy for selective improvement of collectible varieties of watermelon for further creation of initial forms for heterosis selection. The selection of parent pairs for hybridization during watermelon selection is one of the most important and, at the same time, the most difficult moment in selection. The study of correlations makes it possible to establish valuable relationships, as well as to predict the effectiveness of selections in individual combinations based on the trait under investigation.