Study on combining ability in okra [<em>Abelmoschus esculentus </em>(L.) Moench

Abstract

The experiment was undertaken to study the combining ability for yield and its attributing traits in okra. Information on the magnitude of combining ability was obtained for fruit yield per plant and its related components following line x tester mating design involving 11 diverse varieties/strains (6 lines and 5 testers). The 11 parents and their 30 resultant F1s were sown in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. Combining ability analysis revealed that the magnitudes of non-additive variance weres higher for fruit yield per plant and its contributing traits indicating the predominant role of non-additive gene action (except plant height in which additive gene action was there in the inheritance of that particular trait) in the inheritance of the traits. Among females; GO-2 (8.08) and JOL-2K-19 (6.62), while among males; EC-169513 (9.78) were good general combiners for fruit yield per plant and related traits. The hybrid JOL-2K-19 x AOL-13-73 (31.32) showed high sca effects for fruit yield per plant alonwith desirable sca effects for a number of branches per plant, numbers of fruits per plant and numbers of nodes per plant.