KANWAR, H.S.ADITIKA2018-05-202018-05-202018-04http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810046802ABSTRACT The present studies entitled “Studies on heterosis, combining ability and confirmation of hybridity in bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L)” were carried out under net house conditions at the Experimental Research Farm of the Department of Vegetable Science, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh during the years 2016 and 2017. The experimental material for the present study comprised of eight parents and twenty-eight crosses were developed by crossing these eight diverse bell pepper lines in diallel design (excluding reciprocals). All the parents and their hybrids along with the standard check (Bharath) were planted in a Randomized Block Design for their evaluation in summer, 2017. The observations were recorded on thirteen different traits viz., plant height (cm), number of primary branches, days to 50 per cent flowering, days to marketable maturity, number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight (g), fruit yield per plant (kg), fruit yield per hectare (quintals), fruit shape index, number of lobes per fruit, pericarp thickness (mm), harvest duration (days) and ascorbic acid (mg/100g) content. The analysis of variance indicated highly significant differences among the genotypes for all the traits studied. Experimental results revealed that four lines viz., California Wonder, Solan Bharpur, Yolo Wonder and KC-12 were found superior on the basis of mean performance and general combining ability studies for most of the important traits. Five cross combinations viz., UHFBP-3 × KC- 12, Yolo Wonder × Nishtah-1, Solan Bharpur × Yolo Wonder, California Wonder × Yolo Wonder and California Wonder × UHFBP-3 were found best on the basis of mean performance, heterosis studies and specific combining ability effects. Hence, these hybrid combinations can be tested further at multilocations before releasing as a substitute of already existing hybrid varieties of bell pepper in Himachal Pradesh and in India as well. Gene action studies indicated predominance of non additive gene action effects in governing most of the traits suggesting exploitation of hybrid vigour and developing hybrids for improvement of these traits in bell pepper on the basis of present studies. Three primers OAC-20, OPF-14 and OPF-16 generated male specific band for three hybrids therefore, resulted in confirmation of hybridity in three hybrid combinations, so the present study indicate that RAPD markers could be efficiently and reliably used for confirmation of hybridity in bell pepper.ennullThesis