Combining Ability Analysis in Varietal Crosses of Fodder Pearl Millet [Pennisetum Glaucum (L) R. BR.]

15 F₁,s and 6 parents were evaluated during summer 2002 in randomized block design with three replications. The observations were recorded on days to 50 per cent flowering, plant height, number of tillers per plant, number of leaves per plant, leaf to stem ratio, stem, thickness, green fodder yield per plot, protein content, calcium content and oxalic acid content. Additive, dominance as well as epistatic effects conditioned the inheritance of most of the characters including green fodder yield. On the basis of overall findings it is concluded that varieties UUJ-IV M and IP-3616 should be utilized further in breeding programme for developing varieties. Ample progress can be made in cross UUJ-1 x IP-3616 followed by UUJ-IV M x IP-3616, if population improvement methods like mass selecton, recurrent selections or production of composites are employed.