The effect of cytoplasm on the performance of 30 hybrids (15 A×R and their corresponding 15 B×R hybrids) and 11 parents (three CMS lines and corresponding maintainer lines) along with standard check variety BRG 5 was investigated for grain yield and its component traits. These iso-nuclear alloplasmic hybrids were observed for quantitative traits viz., days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, plant height, primary branches plant−1, secondary branches plant−1, pods plant−1, seeds pod−1, 100 seed weight and grain yield plant−1. Significant variation was observed within the A×R and B×R group of hybrids for all the traits. But, differences between A×R and B×R group of hybrids were not significant for any trait indicating poor influence of male sterility inducing cytoplasm. However, significant differences observed among A×R and B×R hybrids for mean performance might be attributed to cytoplasm × nuclear interactions. The differences varied in their direction and magnitude without showing a definite pattern in favour of a particular cytoplasm. However, the differences so detected varied with the trait and nuclear genetic background.
CMS, Pigeonpea, Yield
