Combining Ability Studies for Yield and Yield Attributes in Bajra

Abstract

In this study combining ability and gene action were studied in eight quantitative attributes in pearl millet using seven male sterile lines and three restorers which were crossed in Line x Tester design. Analysis of variance for combining ability revealed significant differences among mean squares for lines, testers and lines x testers for all the characters except for spike girth, lines for spike length and lines x testers for days to maturity. These results are indicative of importance of both additive and non-additive genetic variances in the expression of these traits. The ratio of GCA variance and SCA variance indicated the predominance of non-additive gene action for all the eight characters studied, i.e. days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, number of productive tillers per plant, spike length, spike girth, dry fodder yield and grain yield. Among the lines, ICMA12222 and ICMA 94444 and the tester ICMR 07555 displayed high GCA effect for grain yield per plant. Significant and positive SCA effect for grain yield per plant was displayed by the cross ICMA 12222 x ICMR 07666 followed by ICMA 98444 x ICMR 07555, ICMA 98111 x ICMR 07555 and ICMA 88006 x ICMR 08111. These crosses have been identified as best combiners to give higher grain yield hybrids and could be further evaluated to confirm their stable superior performance.