Heterosis in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) using genetic male sterility

Nine promising F₁ hybrids of chilli developed using genetic male sterile line MS-12 along with four check hybrids (CH-1, CH-3, Soldier, Rudra) were evaluated during 2010–11 for seven traits at two diverse locations of Punjab. The G × E interaction was significant for fruit length, fruit weight, number of seeds fruit⁻¹ and red ripe fruit yield. The pooled analysis showed that the hybrid CH-29 had maximum red ripe fruit yield (0.704 kg plant⁻¹) and fruit width (12.90 mm); Rudra had the highest plant height (90.1 cm), fruit length (6.44 cm), lowest number of seeds fruit⁻¹ (10.7) and seed weight (0.057 g fruit⁻¹); CH-23 possessed maximum number of seeds (53.8) fruit⁻¹ and seed weight (0.289 g fruit⁻¹); CH-21 had the heaviest fruits (3.00 g). The significant values of standard heterosis varied from -34.22 (over Rudra) to 21.24% (over CH-3) for plant height, -24.21 (over Rudra) to 27.47% (over CH-1) for fruit length, -9.59 (over Rudra) to 29.43% (over Soldier) for fruit width, -30.25 (over Rudra) to 43.77% (over CH-1) for fruit weight, -31.71 (over CH-1) to 400.77% (over Rudra) for number of seeds fruit⁻¹, -51.30 (over CH-1) to 406.32% (over Rudra) for seed weight fruit⁻¹ and 29.07 (over Rudra) to 65.94% (over CH-1) for red ripe fruit yield plant⁻¹.