Exploitation of combining ability and heterosis for development of maize hybrids for tarai region of Uttarakhand

Abstract

The present investigation was carried out with fifty six genotypes involving 10 parents, their 45 F1s hybrids and one check hybrid in tarai region of Uttarakhand. The presence of more amount of variance due to SCA effects than GCA effects in our experimental material indicated that heterosis breeding is better choice. The good general combiners were P1, P3 and P4 for ear length; P8 for ear diameter; P5 and P8 for number of kernel rows per ear; P1 and P4 for number of kernels per row, P8 and P9 for100-kernel weight and P5 for grain yield, which can be utilized directly or indirectly in breeding programme. The best eight specific combiners for grain yield were P1xP8, P4xP10, P7xP8, P5xP8, P5xP9, P4xP9, P1xP2 and P5xP10 involving average x average, good x average, good x poor and average x poor parental combinations of generalcombining ability indicating the presence of non-additive gene action. The nine crosses, P1xP2, P1 xP5, P1xP8, P4xP9, P4xP10, P5 xP8, P5xP9, P5xP10 and P7xP8 had positive significant per cent heterosis for grain yield, and crosses namely P1xP4, P1xP5 and P1xP8 for ear length; P1xP3 and P1xP5 for number of kernels per row and P1xP8 and P9x P10 for 100-kernel weight were having positive significant per cent heterosis at 1% and/or 5% level of significance for respective traits. The crosses, P1xP2, P1xP8, P4xP9 andP7xP8 manifested high SCA effects along with excellent standard heterosis and per se performance for grain yield and also for most of the studied characters, therefore, classified as potential hybrids.