Heterosis and Inbreeding Depression in Table Pea

Ten F₁ hybrids and their F₂ populations obtained from a diallel mating of 5 table pea varieties were grown at vegetable section Kalianpur of Uttar Pradesh Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Kanpur in a randomized block design with three replications during 1970–71. The heterosis in F₁ and inbreeding depression in F₂ were studied in respect of plant length, pod length, pod width, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and yield of green pod per plant. Significant heterosis and inbreeding depression was observed in many of the crosses for all the characters examined and pronounced effects were found for yield per plant and number of pods per plant. The crosses which showed manifestation of high degree of heterosis also exhibited inbreeding depression in F₂.