1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Sukhadia University, Udaipur-313 001
*Part of Ph.D. thesis submitted by the senior author to Sukhadia University, Udaipur.
Combining ability study was carried out for grain protein content in a diallel set of nine diverse varieties of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) under normal and late plantings. General and specific combining ability variances were highly significant under both the plantings. However, the magnitude of GCA variance was much higher than that of SCA variance in both the environmental conditions revealing the preponderance of additive gene effects in the genetic control of this trait. The interaction components of variance were unimportant. The per se performance of the parents was associated with their GCA effects. Parents Raj 911, Cocorit-71, Jairaj and HD 4530 were the best general combiners for grain protein content. Superior crosses involved one good and one poor or even negative general combiners.
