Studies on combining ability for yield and yield attributes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Abstract

Six diverse lines of tomato were crossed in full diallel mating fashion (Including reciprocal) to study combining ability effects for yield and yield contributing traits. Nature and magnitude of general combining ability effects provide guideline in identifying the better parents and their utilization. Based on gca effects, parent P6 and P5 were found to be the best general combiner as they showed significant gca effects in desirable direction. The specific combining ability effects represents dominance and epistatic gene effects which can be used as an index to determine the usefulness of a particular cross combination for exploitation through heterosis breeding and hybridization programme. The Cross P5 × P6 was found to be superior sca effect on the basis of yield and its attributing traits.