Heterosis and Combining Ability Studies for Oil and Protein Content in Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is energy rich oil seed crop in India. Heterosis and combining ability studies were carried out in F₁, F₂, and F₃ generations of 45 crosses derived from crossing of 15 soybean lines with 3 testers. Based on various estimates viz., mean performance, heterosis and combining ability the best soybean parents and crosses for quality traits were identified. For both seed oil and protein content, high heterosis and positive Specific Combining Ability (SCA) effects were recorded in crosses Pusa 40 x NRC 12, JS 79–81 x MACS 58, JS 80–21 x MACS 58 and PK 564 x PK 472 and could be further exploited. These crosses involved geographically diverse parents and at least on parent of high General Combining Ability (GCA) effects in combination of high x high, high x average and high x low. Therefore, these crosses could throw transgressive segregants in still advance generations. Future, the results of present study suggested that heterosis coupled with high SCA effects might be considered as a criteria for selecting crosses for further improvement with respect to quality traits.