Gene Action Studies in Gynoecious Cucumber (Cucumis sativum L.) Lines under Mid Hill Conditions of Western Himalayas

Genetic improvement of crop plants is a continuous process and plant breeders continuously strive for developing new varieties, which are high yielding and superior to the existing ones. The success of a breeding programme lies in the choice of appropriate parents and the breeding method followed. Therefore, the experiment was carried out involving gynoecious lines in cucumber at Palampur and Bajaura, to identify suitable parents and gather information on gene action. The line × tester analysis revealed significant differences due to lines, testers and line × tester interaction at both the locations for most of the traits, indicating appreciable diversity in the experimental material. Estimates of general combining ability effects, necessitates inclusion of lines G-3, G-1, Plp-Gy-1 and EC-5082 and the testers K-pap, Sel-75-2-10, K-90 and KL-1 for making crosses which was corroborated by the superiority of their cross combinations. The estimates of GCA and SCA variances pointed out that for majority of traits, non-additive gene action was in appreciable magnitude suggesting the exploitation of hybrid vigour in cucumber.