Relationship between vegetative and rhizome characters and final rhizome yield in micropropagated ginger plants (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) over two generations

Correlation and path analysis for yield and yield contributing characters in two types of micropropagated ginger plants (plantlets directly regenerated from aerial stem explants and plantlets regenerated from aerial stem derived callus) were carried out over first and second generations in two varieties viz. var. ‘Jamaica’ and var. ‘Varada’. Irrespective of the regeneration method, the in vitro derived plants showed high positive correlation and maximum positive direct effect of circumference of cormlets, length of cormlets and number of cormlets with the rhizome yield in the first generation. But tiller number exhibited negative correlation and negative direct effect with the rhizome yield in the first generation. In the second generation of the aerial stem regenerated plants, tiller number, number of nodes per cormlets, circumference of cormlets, number of cormlets and plant height exhibited high positive correlation and maximum direct effect with rhizome yield. However, in the second generation also, the callus regenerated plants showed the same trend as in the first generation. Even though the tiller number showed positive significant correlation with rhizome yield, it showed negative direct effect with the yield.