Studies on combining ability for fruit yield and quality attributing characters in ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.)

Abstract

The present study was taken up at College of Horticulture, Dr. Y. S. R. Horticultural University, Venkataramannagudem, Andhra Pradesh, India during 2018-2019, to study the combining ability of ten different lines of ridge gourd. They were mated diallel fashion excluding reciprocals and their forty five crosses were evaluated along with ten parents and two checks in Randomized block design (RBD) for fruit yield and quality attributing characters. Significant differences of analysis of variances due to GCA and SCA were observed for all the characters, it indicates predominance of non additive and additive gene action, that provides ample scope for heterosis breeding or direct selection. Out of the ten parents studied VRG-25 and VRG-24 were found to be good general combiners for fruit yield and quality characters. The cross combinations, VRG-25 x Swarna Manjari, VRG-14 x VRG-16, VRG-23 x VRG-16 showed highest significant positive heterosis as well as sca effects for number of fruits per vine. The cross combinations, VRG-24 x VRG-13, VRG-24 x VRG-16, Swarna Manjari x Arka Prasan and Swarna Manjari x VRG-16 exhibited significant sca effects and high per se performance for fruit yield per vine. The knowledge of combining ability helps in identifying good combiners for hybridization.