Heterosis for green fruit yield and its contributing characters in chilli (Capsicum annuum. L)

The present investigation was undertaken in diallel fashion involving 8 diverse parents to evaluate heterosis, heterobeleltiosis for various characters. The experiment was carried out at All India Co-ordinated Research Project on vegetable crops, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Dist. Amhednagar, during summer 2010 to summer 2012. The hybrids differed significantly for all the characters, as evident from their highly significant mean square values. The significant heterotic crosses involved high x low, low x high, low x low and high x high performance of parents in both summer and kharif season. The cross combinations P₁ X P₈, P₆ X P₇, P₁ X P₅, P₅ X P₈ and P₁ X P₂ exhibited higher magnitude of heterobeltiosis and standard heterosis for green fruit yield per plant and number of fruits per plant.. Hence these cross combinations should be further exploited for breeding.