Genetic analysis in bitter gourd for marpho-biochemical traits

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is an economically important commercial and nutritious vegetable of cucurbit belongs to the family cucurbitaceae. The fruits contain 2.1 g of protein 1.8 mg of iron 20 mg of calcium 88 mg of vitamin C 55 mg of phosphorus and 210 I.U. of vitamin A in 100 g of edible portion. Bitter melons serve as a preventive complementary and/or alternative treatment for diabetes and its complications. Fruits of bitter gourd also have anti-oxidant anti-microbial anti-viral activities. Therefore it can play a vital role in achieving the nutritional security. The subjectiveness of quality introduces great deal of complications in its genetic improvement. Therefore quality is often a secondary priority in the breeding program. Knowledge of existing variability both at phenotypic and genotypic levels in the breeding material for yield and yield attributing traits with good quality is a basic pre-requisite for any breeding approach to be exploited for crop improvement.