Genetics Of Resistance To Wilt In Castor Caused By Fusarium Oxysporum F. Sp. Ricini Nanda And Prasad

Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ricini Nanda and Prasad) of castor has become a serious problem in Gujarat State, causing at times, heavy losses. The objectives to study the genetics of resistance to wilt in castor, six generations of four crosses were evaluated in the wilt sick plot and through root dip inoculation technique. The mean values of different generations in various crosses revealed that crosses involving both resistant parents gave highly resistant F1 generation and the level of resistance was maintained even in segregating generations. The inheritance of resistance to wilt of castor appear to be governed by polygenes with dominance and epistasis, therefore, heterosis breeding with choice of superior parents would be advantageous for enhancing the wilt resistance alongwith yield. However, for developing wilt resistant hybrids, both the parents should be wilt resistant. Such heterotic crosses can also be further exploited through breeding following recurrent selection and inter se mating in segregating generations for developing wilt resistant high yielding pistillate and inbred male lines of castor.