ESTIMATE OF HETEROSIS AND HETEROBELTIOSIS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF YIELD IN UPLAND COTTON (GOSSYPIUM HIRSUTUM L.)

Abstract

The enhancing seed cotton yield per acre of the crop is a prime concern of breeding programmes. To achieve high degree of heterotic response, it is essential to have knowledge about performance of desirable parents . Therefore, research was undertaken to assess the expression of heterotic effects in cross combination of upland cotton in F1 crosses. The research work was carried out using six cross combinations sown under field condition during 2018 at Nuclear Institute of Agriculture, Tandojam experimental farm. The crosses were obtained by the combinations of four genotypes in half diallel method. The trial was conducted in a three replications with Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Observations were made for plant height (cm), sympodial branches plant-1, number of bolls plant-1 , weight boll (g) and yield of plant-1 (g). Results showed that crosses exhibited significant cross vigour while compared with mid and better parents. The crosses Sadori × CRIS-342 and Sadori × NIA-Noori displayed significant heterotic effects for characters under studied. For development of hybrid in cotton, cross combinations of these parents Sadori × CRIS-342 and Sadori × NIA-Noori will give highest heterosis for yield of plant-1, bolls plant-1 and weight of bolls. Therefore, the above F1 transgressive and heterotic hybrids can be exploited to create genetic variability followed by selection of high yielding in cotton genotypes to establish strains with superior and improved characteristics in segregating filial generations.