Implications of hybrid vigour, combining ability and per se performance in pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.]

Three CGMS lines were crossed with 17 testers in a line A— tester design during Kharif 2013 and sufficient number of hand pollinated seeds was produced. The resultant 51 hybrids along with their 20 parents and standard check variety (Maruti) were evaluated in RBD design with two replications. Combining ability analysis evinced predominance of non-additive gene effects for 7 characters indicating relevance of heterosis breeding for improving yield attributes. The gca effects of parents revealed that ICPA-2043, GRG-2009, GRG-2009-2, LAXMI, LRG-41 and JKM-197 were good general combiners for seed yield and it’s direct components. The estimates of sca effects revealed that 11 experimental hybrids had significant, desirable and positive sca effects for seed yield/plant. Among these, three best crosses were selected on the basis of per se performance for ascertaining their association with sca effects of seed yield per plant and its attributes. The investigation identified the good general combiners (ICPA -2043, GRG-2009, GRG-2009-2, LAXMI, LRG-41 and JKM-197) and promising crosses (ICPA-2043 X GRG-2009-2, ICPA-2047 X GRG-2OO9 and ICPA-2043 X ICPL-288) showing high mean and significant positive sca effects involved high A— high gca effects of parents. These parental combinations may be used in breeding program for exploitation of hybrid vigour.