Division of Botany, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi-12
The mode of inheritance of plant height was studied in the cross E. 406 X C.I. 2256, by partitioning the total phenotypic variance into fixable genetic (Ď), unfixable genetic (Ĥ) and environmental (Ê) components. About seven dominant, effective factors having almost similar magnitude of action were assumed to condition a difference of about 41 cm. in height between the two parents. The concentration of the allelomorphs between these parents was iso-directional and there was no evidence of getting transgressive segregates in the hybrid populations. Heritability values indicated that 69.1 per cent. of the total phenotypic variability was genetic and about 30.6 per cent. fixable.
Members of the polygenic system governing plant height appeared to be partially linked with the major genes P p and G g but independent of Brl brl, Eh eh, N n (group III), Lk lk (group III) and R r (group V).
