Gene action studies in the inheritance of yield and quality attributing traits in diallel cross of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the 36 F1 hybrids derived from 9×9 half diallel fashion along with nine parents and standard check GJBH-4 were sown in randomized block design with three replications during late kharif 2017-18 at Vegetable Research Station, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh. The genetic components of variation were determined for 15 characters viz., days to 50 % flowering, days to first picking, fruit length, average fruit weight (gm), fruit girth (cm), number of fruits per plant, number of primary branches per plant, plant height (cm), total fruit yield per plant (gm), number of picking, days to last picking, total phenol (mg/100gm), total soluble solids, fruit borer infestation (%) and shoot borer infestation (%). The genetic components D, H1 and H2 revealed that additive as well as dominance gene effects were involved in inheritance of most of the traits studied with preponderance of non-additive gene action for all the traits except for days to first picking. Average degree of dominance was found to be over dominance for all the traits except partial dominance for days to first picking indicating the predominant role of non-additive genetic system for most of the traits. Asymmetrical distribution of positive and negative genes in the parents was observed for all the traits. High estimates of heritability in narrow sense was observed for days to 50 % flowering and fruit length suggesting that selection based on these attributes would lead to rapid improvement. Due to preponderance of non-additive gene effects of fruit yield and most of its component traits, heterosis breeding would also be practically feasible in brinjal.