Yanal  Alkuddsi , S.S.  Patil , S. M.  Manjula , B. C. Patil , H. L.  Nadaf , B. S.  Nandihali

Agricultural Research Station, Dharwad Farm, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka, 580005, India
Author    Correspondence author
Molecular Plant Breeding, 2013, Vol. 4, No. 20   doi: 10.5376/mpb.2013.04.0020
Received: 29 May, 2013    Accepted: 10 Jun., 2013    Published: 17 Jun., 2013

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Alkuddsi et al., 2013, Combining Ability for Yield and Yield Attributing Characters In Line×Tester Interspecific Hybrids (G. hirsutum×G. barbadense) for Confirmation of Heterotic Groups, Molecular Plant Breeding, Vol.4, No.20 157-168 (doi: 10.5376/mpb.2013.04.0020)

The prime objective of cotton breeders is to develop new varieties with high yield and yield components. Present study aims to estimate general combining ability of the parents and specific combining ability of hybrids for yield and yield components. The term heterotic group refers to a group of related or unrelated genotypes from the same or different populations, which display similar combining ability and heterotic response when crossed with genotypes from other genetically distinct germplasm groups. If two lines A and B are found to give potential crosses with testers T₁ and T₂, it is possible to increase the genetic distance between these opposite pairs A, B vs, T₁ and T₂ by following population improvement scheme for improving combining ability defined in cross pollinated crops by introducing suitable changes to match the crossing system seen in self pollinated crops. The Line×Tester study was planned to assess the relative potential of the barbadense and hirsutum in developing interspecific hybrid combinations. The objective of this study was to determine the relative the 4 barbadense and 23 hirsutum lines. Barbadense were used as lines and hirsutum were used as testers. The ongoing study at Agricultural Research Station, Dharwad on evaluation of interspecific hybrids led to formation of a heterotic box of two barbadense lines DB 533 and DB 534 and hirsutum testers DH 98-27 (T₁), ZCH 8 (T₂), 178-24 (T₃) and DH 18-31(T₄). Among four barbadense lines positive gca effects for seed cotton yield was recorded by DB 533 and DB 534 confiriming the potential of these barbadense lines in developing productive interspecific hybrids. Among 23 hirsutum testers, four testers DH 18-31, ZCH 8, DH 98-27 and 178-24 exhibited good positive values of gca effects for seed cotton yield and were located among top ten testers ranks 2, 8, 1 and 7 respectively when compared to other hirsutum testers.

Combining ability; gca; sca; Heterotic group