Heterosis and Combining ability in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)

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Date
2005
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ACHARYA N.G. RANGA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, RAJENDRANAGAR, HYDERABAD
Abstract
The present investigation was carried out during Kharif 2004-05 at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Lam, Guntur with seven lines, six testers and their 42 F1s derived through line  tester design in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) to study the genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance as per cent of mean, character association, the magnitude of direct and indirect effects of yield component traits with yield through path coefficient analysis, gene action governing the inheritance of the traits through combining ability and heterosis. The data was recorded on 18 characters viz., days to 50% flowering, plant height (cm), number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, plant spread (cm), days to fruit ripening, number of fruits per plant, fruit length (cm), fruit girth (cm), fruit weight (g), 100-pod weight (g), 1000- seed weight (g), number of seeds per fruit, fresh fruit yield per plant (g), dry pod yield per plant (g), capsaicin (%), oleoresins (%), capsanthin (EOA values). The genetic variability studies indicated that material in the present investigation possessed variability which provides sufficient basis for selection by breeder. High heritability assisted with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for number of fruits per plant, fruit length, 100-pod weight, number of seeds per fruit, capsaicin and capsanthin. The characters viz., plant height, number of primary and secondary branches per plant, plant spread, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight, fruit length, fresh fruit yield per plant, 1000-seed weight, number of seeds per fruit, capsaicin, capsanthin and oleoresins showed positive significant association with dry pod yield per plant. Significant and positive inter-se correlations were also recorded among these characters, which indicates that fruit yield per plant was a totality of these characters. Simultaneously selection of these characters must be adopted to achieve substantial improvement in yield. The characters viz., plant height, primary branches per plant, secondary branches per plant, plant spread, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight and oleoresins exhibited positive direct effects on dry pod yield per plant. The higher estimates of dominance variances as compared to additive variances for the traits viz., days to 50% flowering, plant height, primary branches per plant, plant spread, days to fruit ripening, 1000-seed weight, fresh fruit and dry pod yield per plant was probably due to predominance of non-additive gene action suggesting the scope of improvement in these traits through heterosis breeding. The female parents LCA 353, LCA 334(E) and the pollen parents LCA 424 and Pusa jwala are having high per se performance with good general combining ability and possess favourable alleles for dry pod yield per plant and other yield components viz., primary and secondary branches per plant, plant spread, days to fruit ripening, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, 100-pod weight, number of seeds per fruit, fresh fruit yield per plant including quality characters capsaicin, capsanthin and oleoresins. The magnitude and direction of heterosis varied from character to character over both mid and better parents. The potential crosses like V local  LCA 315 (Low  Low), G4  Aparna (Low  Low), LCA 334 (E)  Pusa Jwala ( High  High), G5  LCA 333 (Low  Low), LCA 334 (D)  LCA 357 (Low  Low), LCA 353  LCA 333 (High Low) exhibited high heterosis, significant sca effects and high per se performance for dry pod yield per plant which offer scope for commercial exploitation through heterosis breeding. Performance of these potential hybrids, however, needs to be studied over locations and seasons for stability before commercial exploitation. Thus, breeding for pure lines and hybrids may possibly be integrated into one programme as heterotic hybrids are reported to produce superior homozygous lines through conventional breeding methods.
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Heterosis, Combining, ability, chilli
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