Department of Vegetable Crops, Landscaping and Floriculture, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Combining ability analysis of ten quantitative characters was estimated from parents and F1 data of a diallel set of ten muskmelon cultivars. Variance due to both general and specific combining ability were highly significant for all the characters.
Both general combining ability and specific combining ability variance seemed to be important, however, general combining ability variance contributed major part of genetic variation for most of the traits. Additive genetic variance had a predomi-nent role in expression of all the characters as g. c. a. variance was found much higher than s. c. a. variance. Varieties Earligold and Lucknow were excellent, general combiners for earliness. Kabul was best combiner for average fruit weight, flesh thickness and skin thickness while Arka Rajhans was superior for total yield. The variety Hara Madhu was the best general combiner for total soluble solids. The crosses involving either Arka Rajhans, Earligold or Hara Madhu were good specific combiners. The cross Hara Madhu × Arka Rajhans was found the best specific combiner for yield. This cross can be utilized both for developing high yielding lines by selection and for exploiting hybrid vigour.
