Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641 003, India
*Present address: Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore 641 007.
In a top-cross analysis for combining ability in pearl millet with Tift. 23D2A and MS. 5141A as females and 40 other inbreds of diverse origin as males, no difference in general combining ability was found between the females for yield) plant height, number of productive tillers and panicle length. MS.5141A was found to be a better combiner for number of grains per cm8. Among the males, general combiners that could produce superior hybrids with both the male-sterile parents were found for all the five characters studied. PT. 1921, PT. 1600 and PT. 1939 were the general combiners for yield. With the exception of three hybrids, specific combining ability was not generally observed in the present study. The results confirm that MS. 5141A, the downy mildew resistant male-sterile line, is a suitable replacement for the downy mildew susceptible Tift. 23D2A.
The male parents were classified as restorers, non-restorers and partial restorers and the usefulness of these inbreds falling under high combining category is outlined.
