HETEROSIS AND COMBINING ABILITY IN RIDGE GOURD (Luffa acutangula (Roxb.) L.)
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Date
2012-06
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JAU, JUNAGADH
Abstract
The present investigation was undertaken in ridge gourd in order to estimate heterosis, combining ability and nature of gene action involved in the inheritance of fruit yield and its components characters, viz., days to open first female flower, node number at which first female flower appeared, node number at which first male flower appeared, days to first picking, length of main vine (m), number of primary branches per vine, number of fruits per vine, ten fruit weight (g), length of fruit (cm), girth of fruit (cm), fruit yield per vine (kg) and fruit fly infestation (%). The crosses were attempted by adopting line x tester analysis involving ten lines and five testers during Summer 2011. The resultant 50 hybrids along with their parents were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications during Kharif 2011 at Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh.
Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among all the parents as well as crosses for all the characters studied. This indicated that parents and hybrids had significant variation for different traits. Variance due to parents Vs hybrids comparison was also significant for all the traits except for number of primary branches per vine, ten fruit weight and length of fruit.
A marked degree of useful and significant heterosis over better and standard parent (Pusa Nasdar) was observed in individual crosses for different traits. The magnitude of heterosis was obtained high for fruit yield per vine, girth of fruit, length of fruit, ten fruit weight, number of fruits per vine, number of primary branches per vine, length of main vine and days to first picking. Significant and positive standard heterosis for fruit yield per vine and some of its component traits were recorded in four crosses, namely ARGS-07- 45 x Jaipur Long, ARGS-07-45 x Swarna Manjari, ARGS-07-45 x Pusa Nasdar and ARGS-09-59 x GARG-1.
Variances due to lines and testers were non-significant for all the traits except lines for days to open first female flower and testers for number of primary branches per vine, while mean square due to lines x testers was significant for all the characters which indicated the involvement non-additive type of gene action in the inheritance of all these characters. The ratio (2sca / 2gca) also suggested preponderance of non-additive gene action for fruit yield per vine and most of the component traits.
The estimate of gca effects indicated that the parents Swarna Manjari, Jaipur Long, ARGS-07-45 and ARGS-09-59 were found to be the good general combiners for fruit yield and some of the fruit yield contributing characters. It was observed that per se performance of parents for majority of characters, in general, related to their gca effects. Parents which exhibited significant gca effects for fruit yield per vine also possessed high and significant gca effects for some of the yield components.
The four cross combinations viz., JRG-05-6 x GARG-1, ARGS-09-59 x GARG-1, ARGS-07-46 x Swarna Uphar and ARGS-07-46 x Pusa Nasdar were found to be good specific cross combinations for fruit yield per vine. Crosses showing high sca effects for fruit yield also depicted high sca effects for important yield attributes, accompanied with high to moderate heterotic response. Crosses with high sca effects in fruit yield per vine were in combinations of good x good or good x poor or poor x poor general combiners.
Due to preponderance of non-additive gene effect for fruit yield and most of its component traits, heterosis breeding would also be practically feasible in crop like ridge gourd.
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GENETIC