A diallel analysis was carried out (excluding reciprocals) with a view to estimate combing ability effects for flower yield and its components in marigold (Tagetes spp. L.) involving nine diverse parental lines. Significant differences in the mean squares due to GCA and SCA for all the characters indicated the presence of sufficient variability in the combining ability of the used parents. GCA mean squares were higher than the SCA mean squares for all the characters except breadth of ray floret indicating significant combination of additive and non additive gene effects in the expression of traits. Parents recorded significant general combining effects for all the 17 characters. Parent P5 (Pusa Narangi Gainda) and P7 (Late Summer) were good general combiners for flower yield and yield attributes, whereas, P9 (Crackerjack Mix) and P5 (Sutton Orange) were good general combiners for earliness in flowering. The cross Pusa Narangi Gainda × Late Summer (PNG × LS), Sutton Yellow × Crackerjack Mix (SY × CM), Sutton Yellow × Late Summer (SY × LS), Sutton Orange × Late Summer (SO × LS), Seraceul × Late Summer (S × LS), Pusa Basanti Gainda × Late Summer (PBG × LS) and Pusa Basanti Gainda × Sutton Orange (PBG × SO) recorded significant SCA effects for majority of yield attributes and were recommended for commercial scale production.
