COMBINING ABILITY AND HETEROSIS FOR YIELD AND YIELD CONTRIBUTING TRAITS IN BRASSICA RAPA (L.) SSP. DICHOTOMA (ROXB.) HANELT

Abstract

Combining ability was studied for yield and yield contributing traits in 5 × 5 diallel cross in Brassica rapa (L.) ssp. dichotoma (Roxb.) Hanelt. Primary branches plant-1, pods main raceme-1, pod length, 100-seed weight and seed yield plant-1 were significantly different. Heritability and genetic advance estimates were moderate for primary branches plant1 , pods main raceme-1, 100 seed weight whereas were high for seed yield plant-1. Parental line G-909 for primary branches plant-1, pods main raceme-1 and seed yield plant-1, genotype G-902 for pod length and genotype G-403 for 100- seed weight were the best general combiners. Based on combing ability and heterosis, the F1 hybrids G-909 × G-265 (for primary branches plant-1), G-265 × G- 403, G-1500 × G-909 (for pods main raceme-1), G-403 × G-909 (for pod length), G-265 × G-1500 (for 100-seed weight) and G-1500 × G-902, G-909 × G-902 (for seed yield plant-1) can be utilized in future breeding endeavors. Non-additive genetic control, as predominant mechanism, for all the traits necessitates the use of schemes like bi-parental mating design, diallel selective mating followed by recurrent or reciprocal recurrent selection.