Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding
The effect of cytoplasm on productivity and combining
ability for grain yield and its contributing traits was studied
in 144 hybrids. Six male sterile (A) lines 81A and HMS 8A
(A1), Pb3l3A (A2), Pb402A (A3), 81A4, 81A5 representing five
different cytoplasm systems and their corresponding
maintainer (B) lines were crossed with 12 restorer (R) lines
in a line x tester design. The 24 parents (A+B and R) and
144 crosses were grown separately in contiguous block
in randomized block design with two replications in six
environments, three each (E1, E2, E3) and (E4, E5, E6)
during 2000 and 2001, respectively. Analysis of variance
revealed significant differences among genotypes,
parents, lines (A, B), testers, hybrids (A x R, B x R). The
differences due to A vs. B and A x R vs. B x R crosses
were highly significant for grain yield/plant (g), harvest
index (%) and growth rate (g/plant/day). Cytoplasmic
effects were estimated by comparing A x R and B x R
hybrids combination. Both positive and negative
cytoplasmic effects were observed for all the four
characters studied. The (A x R vs. B x R) x E component
of variance exhibited significance for all the four
characters. The effects were modified by environment.
These were more pronounced for grain yield, 500-grain
weight and harvest index, and positive cytoplasmic effects
exceeded than the negative ones. For growth rate negative
cytoplasmic effects were preponderant and significant
only in one environment which is due to cytoplasm and
nuclear genome interaction. Effect of cytoplasm was more
or less equally pronounced on general combining ability
effects of parents and specific combining ability of
crosses. Array mean performance of 81A cytoplasmic
iso-hybrids indicated that all the three cytoplasms have
same potential, therefore, any of these cytoplasms can be
used in hybrid breeding.
Keywords: Cytoplasmic effects, combining ability, pearl millet
Year: 2010
Volume: 70
Issue: 3
Article DOI: N/A
Print ISSN: 0019-5200
Online ISSN: 0975-6906
R. Kumar and P. Sagar info_circle
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