Combining ability analysis for earliness in breadwheat (Triticum aestivum L. em. thell) under normal and salt affected soils

Eight bread wheat genotypes were crossed in half diallel fashion. Combining ability analysis for days to flowering and maturity was studied in F₁ and F₂ generations under normal, sodic and saline sodic soils. The variances due to gca and sca were significant, the former being much larger in magnitude than the latter in F₁ and F₂ under each environment as well as in pooled analysis. The gca x environment and sca x environment interaction variances were highly significant in F₁ and F₂ for both traits. The parents HW 452, Lok 1 and Raj 1972 were good general combiners for earliness in F₁ and F₂ under all environments. Amongst all the crosses, Kharchia 65 x Raj 1972 was most promising for earliness under each environment. Most crosses showing desirable significant sea effects involved either high x low or low Xlow general combiners.