Heterosis, combining ability and molecular characterization in fieldpea (Pisum sativum L. var arvense)

Twenty eight crosses combinations were developed by 8 × 8 diallel analysis during rabi 2012–13 and evaluated 28 F₁'s and 8 parents during rabi 2013–14. Thirteen crosses out of 28 crosses manifested significant positive heterobeltiosis for grain yield per plant. The range of heterobeltiosis for grain yield was wide (−71.02% to 153.44%). The hybrid PRAKASH x IPFD 10–13) expressed the highest heterobeltiosis (82.54%). An overall consideration of gca effects indicated that the parents DF-1, AD ARSH and PRAKASH appeared to be good general combiners for grain yield per plant and harvest index. For grain yield per plant, the crosses PRAKASH × IPFD 10–13, ADARSH × APARNAand VIKAS × IPFD 10–13 recorded the highest sca effects. DNA-based markers provide powerful and reliable tools for discriminating variations within crop germplasm and for studying evolutionary relationships. Pooled RAPD analysis produceda total of 108 DN A fragments, out of which 91 were polymorphic (82.35%(average polymporphism. Parent IPFE 10–13 and KPMR 400 were least similar to each other, the cross between ADARSH × NDP-1 and DF-1 × PRAKASH revealed lowest similarity index indicating more distance between them. A wide range of genetic similarity (0.36 to 0.89) conform that a significant genetic variation exists among the various cross combinations of fieldpea.