Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur-208 002
*Apart of the Ph.D. disseration submitted by the senior author to Kanpur University, Kanpur, in 1975.
The genetic architecture of yield and its components in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) was studied in a partial diallel set (s =6) involving fifteen strains representing different ecogeographical regions in F1 and F2 generations. Both general and specific combining ability variances were substantial in the material for various characters under study. However, the mean square for general combining ability accounted for a higher proportion of the total variability. The estimates indicated a predominant role of additive gene action for test weight. Days to flower and number of pods per plant showed additive gene action in F1 but non-additive in F2. Non-additive gene action played a major role in the genetic variation for plant height, days to maturity, days to reproductive phase and grain yield in both F1 and F2. Overdominance was operative for all the traits except days to flower and number of pods per plant in F1 and number of seeds per pod and test weight in both F1 and F2. Parental performance as judged by g.c.a. effects indicated that ‘Chaffa’, ‘Gwalior 2’, T 1’, ‘P 864’, ‘P 1211’ and ‘N 59’ were promising material.
