COMBINING ABILITY ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY SUITABLE PARENTS AND CROSSES FOR SEED COTTON YIELD, FIBRE QUALITY AND OIL CONTENT IN INTRA AND INTER SPECIFIC DIALLEL CROSSES OF DIPLOID COTTON

RAKESH CHOUDHARY¹*, B.G. SOLANKI², NAVIN CHANDER GAHTYARI³, TAPAS PAUL⁴, RAMESH CHOUDHARY^5
1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand 263153, India
²Main Cotton Research Station, Surat, 395007, Navsari Agricultural University, Gujarat, India
³Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand 263153, India
⁴ICAR-Research Complex for NEH Region, Tripura Centre, India
⁵Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat 388001, India
* Corresponding Author : agrico.rakesh@gmail.com

Received : 25-10-2016     Accepted : 13-12-2016     Published : 18-12-2016
Volume : 8     Issue : 61       Pages : 3436 - 3443
Int J Agr Sci 8.61 (2016):3436-3443

Keywords : Combining ability, Cotton, Gene action, Diallel analysis
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Authors duly acknowledge the support from the Main Cotton Research Station, Surat and Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, NAU, Navsari, Gujarat
Author Contribution : Rakesh Choudhary- research outcome of my M.Sc. (Agri) Genetics and Plant Breeding thesis

The 10 x10 half diallel cross investigation was carried out in order to determine gene action as well as general and specific combining ability in the material studied. All the traits were predominantly controlled by non-additive type of gene action. The parents GBhv- 287 and 824 were found to be good general combiners for seed cotton yield and most of the fibre quality traits, respectively. Variety GAM-165 had maximum number of dominant genes for oil content while GBhv- 283 had maximum number of dominant genes for boll weight. Hybrid, GBhv-282 x G 27 had significant sca effects for seed cotton yield per plant with good fibre quality in aspect of many fibre quality traits such as fibre strength, fibre elongation percentage and fibre maturity coefficient. 824 x G 27 proves superiority proved superior for fibre length and fibre fineness for sca effects. 824 x GAM- 173 was useful for oil content improvement in future as it showed high sca effects.