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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
Combining ability and heterosis studies with respect to grain quality traits viz., iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, total carotenoids and grain yield were carried out from a 8 x 10, line x tester mating design in pearl millet. The analysis of variance for combining ability revealed that hybrids and parents exhibited significant differences for all characters studied. The general combing ability effects of lines and specific combing ability effects of hybrids showed significant differences for micronutrients, total carotenoids and grain yield. The cytoplasmic sources 81Aegp and 81A4 for grain yield, 81A1 and 81A2 for iron content, phosphorus and calcium; 81Aegp and 81A4 for magnesium content; and 81A5 and 842A1for total carotenoids proved to be good general combiners for specific characters. Beside grain yield, 81A1 also exhibited significant and positive gca effects for iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and total carotenoids in one or more than one environment. The predictability ratio [2σ2gca/(2σ2gca + σ2sca)] was not near unity for all grain quality traits and grain yield, implying preponderance of non additive gene action clearly indicting that usefulness of heterosis breeding for these traits. A few crosses combined high grain yield with mineral content and total carotenoids e.g. the cross 842A1 x H77/833-2 expressed high significant positive heterosis for grain and total carotenoids; and 81A1 x H77/29-2 not only manifested high positive heterosis for grain yield but also exhibited high significant and positive heterosis for iron, phosphorus and calcium content. These two crosses deserve to be tested multilocationally to confirm their performance.