Combining Ability Estimates in Peanuts (Arachis Hypogaea L.)

Twelve parent diallel analysis in peanuts was conducted to study combining ability in respect of six quantitative traits. Variances due to g.c.a. were highly significant for all the six characters and were higher in magnitude than the s.c.a. variances, which were significant only for three characters. Both additive and non additive gene effects were important for plant height, pod yield and days to maturity and only additive gene effects were important for number of branches, number of developed and undeveloped pods. Cultivars Dh-3-30, JJS-4, EC-21120 and dwarf mutant could be used in breeding for improved varieties of peanuts in general and cultivars TG-1. Sbulamit, Dh-3-30 and Dwarf mutant in improving the pod yield per se.