Studies on combining ability and heterosis in pearl millet pennisetum glaucum

Abstract

The present investigation entitled Studies on Combining Ability and Heterosis in Pearl Millet Pennisetum glaucum L. was undertaken to assess genetic variability, combining ability, and heterotic potential among diverse genotypes for forage and grain yield traits. A set of ten diverse pearl millet lines (PPMI-1279, PPMI-1317, PPMI-1313, PPMI-1318, PPMI-1308, PPMI-1310, PPMI-1319, PPMI-1273, PPMI-1288, and PPMI-1285) were selected from the Division of Genetics and Plant Breeding, IARI, New Delhi. Forty-five Fand#8321; hybrids were developed using a 10 × 10 half diallel mating design during Kharif 2023 and evaluated along with their parents during Kharif 2024 at Crop Research Centre, SVPUAandT, Meerut using a randomized block design with three replications. Observations were recorded on fourteen traits including days to 50% flowering, plant height, leaf breadth, leaf length, stem girth, leaves per plant, leaf area, number of tillers per plant, leaf stem ratio, total soluble solids, protein content, dry fodder yield per plant, green fodder yield per plant and grain yield per plant. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among genotypes for all traits, indicating the presence of substantial genetic variability. High genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation along with high heritability and high genetic advance as percent of mean were recorded for traits like number of tillers per plant, leaf stem ratio, total soluble solids, protein content, dry fodder yield, green fodder yield, and grain yield per plant, indicating the potential for effective selection. Correlation studies revealed significant and positive associations of grain yield with traits such as green fodder yield, dry fodder yield, number of tillers per plant, leaves per plant, and total soluble solids at both genotypic and phenotypic levels. Path coefficient analysis highlighted the direct contribution of leaves per plant, green fodder yield, and early flowering to overall productivity. Gene action analysis indicated the predominance of both