COMBINING ABILITY STUDIES IN PEARL MILLET [PENNISETUM
GLAUCUM (L.) R. BR.]
R. BHARDWAJ, M. KAUR, R. S. SOHU AND D. P. SINGH
Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics
Punjab Agricultural University
Ludhiana-141 004 (Punjab), India
*(e-mail : ruchipau@gmail.com)
(Received : 10 September 2015; Accepted : 15 September 2015)
SUMMARY
Combining ability and heterosis estimates were worked out through line x tester analysis of 40 hybrids developed by crossing 10 pearl millet lines as males with four cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines as females. Preponderance of non-additive gene effects was realized by higher values of specific combining ability (sca) compared to general combining ability (gca), ratio of variances of gca to sca for all the traits studied except for dry fodder yield. The estimates of gca effects indicated that PB 543A and PIB 258 were good general combiners for grain yield among the female and male parents, respectively. Cross combinations PB 543A x PIB 145, PB 543A x PIB 141 and PB 409A x PIB 141 were found to be the best specific combinations for grain yield. For grain yield, maximum MPH and BPH was observed by the cross PB 543A x PIB 136.
Key words:Pearl millet, line x tester, heterosis, grain yield