International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Biotechnology
  • Year: 2015
  • Volume: 8
  • Issue: 1

Exploitation of heterosis and combining ability for earliness and vegetative traits in ridge gourd [luffa acutangula (roxb.) L.]

  • Author:
  • Mangaldeep Sarkar1,, Dinesh Kumar Singh1, Mani Lohani1, Abhijit Kumar Das2, Sankalpa Ojha3
  • Total Page Count: 10
  • Page Number: 153 to 162

1Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (G.B.P.U.A.&T.), Pantnagar, Uttarakhand-263145, India

2Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi-110012, India

3Department of Agril. Statistics, N M College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari-396450, Gujarat, India

*Corresponding author: mangaldeepsarkar@gmail.com

Online published on 18 May, 2015.

Abstract

Eight parental lines and 28 F1 hybrids of ridge gourd obtained from half-diallel were studied to investigate the extent of combining ability and heterosis for earliness and vegetative characters. Appreciable heterosis in desirable direction was found over better parent and check parent for the characters viz. days to first female flower, node number to first female flower, vine length (m), number of primary branches and days taken to Ist fruit harvesting. Crosses PCPGR 7256 X PRG 142, PRG 117 X PRG 142, PRG 117 X PRG 131, PRG 117 X PRG 132 and PRG 117 X PRG 120 were found promising for earliness. Crosses PCPGR 7256 X PRG 117, PCPGR 7256 X PRG 131 and PRG 132 X PRG 120 were recorded promising for vegetative traits. Regarding general combining ability the parents PRG 117 and PRG 142 found best for earliness and for vegetative growth PRG 131 stood in top. The crosses PRG 131 X PRG 132 and PCPGR 7256 X PRG 142 showed highest specific combining ability for earliness and both the crosses PCPGR 7256 X PRG 117 and PRG 132 X PRG 120 found best for different vegetative traits.

Both additive and non additive gene action have been recorded for different quantitative traits.

Crosses PCPGR 7256 X PRG 142, PRG 117 X PRG 142, PRG 117 X PRG 131, PRG 117 X PRG 132 and PRG 117 X PRG 120 could commercially be released as early hybrids.

Keywords

Ridge gourd, heterosis, combining ability, earliness, vegetative growth