European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience

Authors
Ekhlaque Ahmad

Abstract
An experiment was conducted to realize the combining ability and magnitude of heterosis in wheat, 21 hybrids were synthesized in a 7 x 7 diallel fashion excluding reciprocals. Analysis of combining ability and heterosis over better parent as well as economic parents (UP 2554) were undertaken for grain yield, its related traits. The present investigation was carried out during 2009–10 at GBPUA & T., Pantnagar. The analysis of variance revealed that the genotypes were highly significant for all the characters studied. The results revealed that non-additive genetic variance played a predominant role in the inheritance of most of the traits. The best combinations mostly involved high × low and low × low general combiners for the characters under study. On the basis of gca effects, 3 parents, UP 2754, DBW 17 and UP 2696 were found good general combiners for grain yield and quality traits. BL 3065/DBW 16, BL 3065/ UP 2754 and BL 3065/UP 2696 were the best specific crosses for grain yield and its contributing traits.