Abstract
Eight lines and six testers of sunflower were crossed using line x tester method. The 48 F1 single cross combinations along with their parents and two checks were planted in simple lattice design with two replications. The results of analysis of variance showed significant differences among the genotypes for all the traits including plant height, head diameter, life-cycle duration, grain yield, 1000 seed weight, oil content and oil yield. Line x tester analysis revealed significant effects of genotypes, hybrids and interaction effects of line x tester for all the studied traits. The testers including RF81-25 and RF81-30 with significant positive general combining ability (GCA) effects for grain yield and 1000 seed weight respectively and also RF-131/1 with significant negative GCA effect for plant height were considered as good combiners and also the lines including AF80-488/1/2/1 and AF80-488/2/1/1 were good combiners for grain yield and 1000 seed weight respectively. The crosses including AF80-460/2/1/1 x RF81-25 and AF8-6937 x RF81-30 had significant positive specific combining ability (SCA) effects for grain yield, oil content and oil yield. Estimating low narrow sense heritability for all the traits indicating the importance of non additive genetics effects for them, so for improving these traits hybrid method will be effective.
Highlights
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the most important oilseed crops in the world
Over dominance gene action is reported for plant height, head diameter, oil content, 100 seed weight and seed and oil yield (Gangappa et al, 1997)
Estimates of general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) indicating additive effects were more important for oil content (Bedov, 1985)
Summary
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the most important oilseed crops in the world. Kaya and Atakisi (2004) reported that superior hybrids have been obtained by crossing cytoplasmic male sterile inbred (CMS) female and restorer lines with high general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) values. Based on the combining ability analysis of different characters, higher SCA values refer to dominance gene effects and higher GCA effects indicate a greater role of additive gene effects controlling these characters in the plants If both the GCA and SCA values are not significant, epistatic gene effects play an important role in determining these characters (Fehr, 1993).The importance of combining www.ccsenet.org/ijb ability studies lies in the assessment of parental lines and their hybrids showing significant additive and non-additive effect with respect to certain traits. One crucial step in hybrid development is testing of inbred lines for their GCA
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