1Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Tindvanam-604 002, Tamil Nadu, India.
2Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai-625 104, Tamil Nadu, India.
National Pulses Research Center, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Vamban Colony, Pudukkottai-622 303, Tamil Nadu, India.
*Corresponding Author: N. Manivannan, National Pulses Research Center, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Vamban Colony, Pudukkottai-622 303, Tamil Nadu, India. Email: nmvannan@gmail.com
Online published on 25 May, 2022.
Combining ability analysis over two seasons was carried out in blackgram involving four lines, five testers and 20 crosses. Variance due to environments was significant for all the characters. Variances due to genotypes and genotype x environment was significant for all characters, except for number of pods per cluster. It indicated that environment plays a major influence on the estimates of combining ability effects. The estimates of additive and dominance variances revealed preponderance additive gene action for all the characters, except number of pods per cluster. Parents viz., MDU 1, Vamban 3, Mash 1008 and VBN 8 were good general combiners for seed yield per plant and yield component traits. Hybrids viz., MDU 1 x Mash 1008 and MDU 1 x VBN 8 recorded high per se and non-significant sca effects for most of the characters including seed yield per plant indicating the role of additive gene action. Hence, these crosses could be used for further selection through pedigree breeding to obtain high yielding segregants.
Blackgram, Combining ability, Gene action, Seed yield
