Combining Ability of Short-Statured Rice Gultivars from North East India

Combining ability analysis was done for five quantitative characters in a diallel set involving three short-statured cultivars ‘RPA 5824’, ‘RPA 5981’ and ‘RPA 5929’ (from North East India) and three traditional tall rice varieties ‘T 141’, ‘TKM 6’ and ‘W 1263’. Short-statured parents were the best general combiners for plant height and spikelet sterility and the tails were good for grains per panicle, earbearing tillers and grain yield. The crosses ‘RPA 5929’ × ‘TKM 6’ and ‘RPA 5929’ × ‘T 141’ showed significant specific combining ability for grain number per panicle, earbearing tillers and single plant yield. The study indicated the possibility of utilising the alternate genetic source for short-stature in breeding programmes.