Combining ability and breeding potential of oilseed rape advanced lines for some of important quantitative traits

Abstract

AbstractInformation on estimates of combining ability of the promising lines of breeding material is important for evolving higher yielding varieties of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). An experiment was conducted to quantitatively examine the genetic parameters of phenological traits, plant height, pods on main raceme, pods per plant and seed yield for eight oilseed rape genotypes using a half-diallel crosses. The result of the diallel analysis revealed significant mean squares of general and specific combining abilities (GCA and SCA) for all studied traits, indicating the importance of additive and non-additive genetic effects for these traits. On the other hand estimation of high narrow-sense heritability estimates for days to flowering, duration of flowering and pods on main raceme, indicated the prime importance of additive genetic effects for these traits. L420 and L401 with significant negative GCA effects for days to flowering and days to maturity were suitable for yielding early maturity combinations. L41, Zafar and L22 with significant positive GCA effects for seed yield were superior parents for increasing seed yield. The crosses with significant positive SCA effects for seed yield had at least one parent with significant positive GCA effects for this trait. The crosses including L41×L22, L41×LF2, Zafar×L22 and Zafar×L420 with seed yield of 3421.7, 3400, 3348.1 and 3311.3 kg ha-1 could be promising for determination of superior recombinants for high seed yield coupled with other growth characters in advanced generations of segregation.