Estimation of combining ability and heterosis for yield and quality characters in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.)

Full diallel analysis was carried out during Aug- Nov, 2007 with 10 diversified parents at Department of Vegetable Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute, TNAU, Coimbatore to study the combining ability and heterosis for yield and quality characters. Evaluation of parents based on per se and gca effects revealed that the parents Preethi, CO-1, MC-30, Uchha Bolder, Green Long, MC-105 were identified as the best genotypes for improvement of yield combined with quality characters. The hybrids viz., Preethi x MC-30, KR x USL, MC-105 x MC-10 and Priyanka x CO-1 had registered favourable values of mean, significant sca and standard heterosis for yield and quality parameters. Hence these hybrids are recommended for commercial exploitation of heterosis. A comparison of the parental gca and sca of hybrids revealed that hybridization between good x good and medium x poor or medium x medium combiners had given rise to hybrids with significant sca effects.Considering the per se performance, sca and the standard heterosis, the hybrids Preethi x MC-30 had registered favourable values for the most important characters like earliness, number of fruits, yield of fruits and quality parameters. Further the top performing F1 hybrids can be tested in different seasons over different locations for assessing their stability for high yield and quality.