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Combining ability analysis of grain yield, plant height and days to bloom in pearl millet^*

Gabriel Alves Maciel^I; K.N. Rai^II; D.J. Andrews^II

^IPresent address: IPA, Av. Gal. San Martin, 1371, Bonji, Caixa Postal 1022, 50000 Recife, PE, Brasil. Send correspondence to G.A.M.
^IIInternational Crops Research, Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh 502 324, India

ABSTRACT

Two sets of line x tester analyses of combining ability for grain yield, plant height and days to bloom in pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) showed that variance due to general combining ability (0² gca) accounted for the major proportion of genetic variability for all three characters. The variance due to specific combining ability (0² sca) was nonsignificant for grain yield but significant for plant height in one set of crosses and highly significant for daysto-bloom in both sets of crosses. The relative magnitudes of ₀2 gca and ^Q2 sca were found to be tester-dependent for grain yield and plant height but tester-independent for days to bloom. Plant height and days to bloom, in contrast to grain yield, were found to be relatively less influenced by genotype x year interaction. Significant positive correlations were observed between the per se performance of the parents and their gca effects for days to bloom, and plant height but not for grain yield.

Keywords: grain yield; height; bloom; millet.

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* Part of a thesis submitted by G.A.M. in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters degree, Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University, Hyderabad, India.