DIALLEL ANALYSIS OF YIELD AND SOME YIELD COMPONENTS IN TOMATO (SOLANUM LYCOPERSICUM L.)

Abstract

Diallel analysis revealed highly significant differences among tomato genotypes for days to maturity, plant height, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width and fruit yield per plant. Significant mean squares for general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA) and reciprocal combining ability (RCA) indicated joint role of additive, non-additive and maternal effects for the expression of days to maturity, fruit length and fruit yield per plant. The predictability ratio of GCA/SCA variance was less than 1 for days to maturity, plant height, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit length and fruit yield per plant showing preponderance of non-additive gene effects while it was more than 1 for fruit weight indicating predominance of additive gene effect. Among parents, B26 and B27 were found good general combiner for yield and some of the yield related traits studied. The hybrids viz. B23 x B27, B25 x B26 and B24 x B27 had significant SCA effects for yield and were suggested for the exploitation of heterosis.