Combining ability for yield and its components under normal and sodic soil in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Abstract

Selection of parents based on their combining ability is an effective approach in hybrid breeding. In this study, The 13 parents were involved in a crossing programme line × tester set (10 lines + 3 testers) were used to obtain 30 crosses for analyzing the general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) for days to 50% flowering, plant height, number of effective tillers /plant, number of spikelets /spike, number of grains/ spike, days to maturity, 1000- grain weight, biological yield / plant, grain yield / plant and harvest index. The results showed that GCA was significantly different among parents and SCA was also significantly different among crosses. The performance of hybrid was significantly correlated with the sum of female and male GCA, SCA. The significant and positive gca effects for seed yield per plant were exhibited by three lines and two tester which in order of merit were NDB 1245, DWRUB 64 and Karan 741 among lines and NDB 943 and BHS 352 among the testers in normal soil (E1) while, two lines and two tester in saline sodic soil (E2) which in order of merit were HUB 113 and NDB 1173 among lines and NDB 943 and BHS 352 among testers. significant desirable sca effects to yield in normal soil condition (E1), were NDB 1465 X DWR 28 and NDB 1465 X NDB 943 for sodic soil (E2).