Assessing genetic variability and Agronomic Performance of turmeric (Curcuma Longa l.) Genotypes for Yield improvement

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) germplasm evaluation is essential for identifying valuable genetic resources and understanding agronomic performance to enhance productivity. During 2022- 23 growing season, a field experiment was carried out at Spices Research Centre, Shibganj, Bogura to evaluate ten turmeric genotypes using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main goals of the experiment were to study genotypic variability, diversity and trait association of turmeric genotypes. Variance analysis revealed substantial variation (P<0.05), highlighting strong genetic influences on most of the studied traits. Genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation (GCV and PCV, respectively) was observed for the traits weight of the mother rhizome (WMR) and weight of the secondary finger (WSF). Traits such as plant height (PH) (0.99), number of leaves (NL) (0.93), weight of the mother rhizome (WMR) (0.94), and fresh yield (FY) (0.95) revealed high heritability. Genetic advance (GA) and genetic advance in percent of mean (GAM) analyses identified FY as having the highest GAM percentage (52.33%). The turmeric genotype T0098 produced the maximum FY (36.67 t/ha) making it a potential candidate as a commercial variety. Association and regression analyses revealed significant relationships between different traits, such as a strong positive association of FY with WMR (rg=0.82** and rp=0.75*), WSF (rg=0.78** and rp=0.50), number of primary fingers (NPF) (rg=0.77** and rp=0.64*) and secondary fingers (NSF) (rg=0.71* and rp=0.56). Studied were observed significant genetic diversity and variability among the turmeric genotypes. Strong associations between growth traits and rhizome yield provide clear markers for selecting high-yielding varieties. Bangladesh J. Agri. 2026, 51(1):25-39