Vol. 11, Issue 5 (2022)

Author(s):
Nirdesh Kumar Chaudhary, LK Gangwar, Pooran Chand, SK Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shiva Mohan and Pushpanjali Kushawaha

Abstract:
A half diallel cross (excluding reciprocals) was conducted to study the combining ability comprised of forty-five F₁s developed by crossing of ten diverse genotypes of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The data were recorded on eleven characters namely days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height at maturity (cm), number of productive tillers/plant, spike length (cm), number of spikelets/spike, number of grains/spike, 1000 grain weight, biological yield/plant, grain yield/plant and harvest index (HI). The estimates showed that mean squares due to general combining ability as well as specific combining ability were highly significant for all traits under study. The ratio of estimates of variances of GCA/SCA was less than unity indicated the preponderance of non-additive gene action in their inheritance. On the basis of significant GCA effect, parents UP 262, NW 305 and HD 2285 were found good general combiners for grain yield per plant. Specific combining ability is deviation in a performance of hybrid from expected value on the basis of general combining ability effect of lines involved, and can be regarded as a measure of non–additive gene action. On the basis of significant SCA effect, fifteen crosses out of forty five crosses were found good specific combiners, of which K 9162 X DWR 544, UP 262 X HD 3086 and UP 262 X DWR 544 were the best specific combiners for grain yield per plant.