Genetic Analysis of Yield Components and Protein Content in Pea: Analysis of General and Specific Combining Ability

Combining ability of yield, its components and protein content were worked out from F1 and F, generations of a diallel cross involving ten parents of pea according to Griffing (1956). It showed significant additive and nonadditive genetic effects for all the characters, namely, days to flowering, plant height, branches per plant, pods per plant, seeds per pod, pod length, days to maturity, seed yield per plant, harvest index, and protein content in both F1 and F2 generations. Parents T 163. 6113 and P 209 were good general combiners for yield, and EC 33866 and BR 12 for protein content. The highest mean performance and sea effects were recorded in T 163 × EC 33866 and BR 12xP 209 for yield and protein content, respectively. The high performing cross combinations involving at least one good general combiner could be expected to produce transgressive segregants and thus need exploitation in breeding programmes. For combining high seed yield with high protein content, multiple cross followed by further intermatings among desirable segregants has been suggested.