Combining ability and gene action studies for yield and its attributing traits in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.)

Abstract

The results of ANOVA for combining ability revealed that the mean sum of squares for both GCA and SCA were highly significant for all the traits under investigation (excluding days to 50% flowering). This indicates the involvement of both additive and non-additive gene actions in the inheritance of all analyzed traits while, for days to 50% flowering only the GCA mean sum of squares was highly significant which indicates that additive gene action was involved in the inheritance of this trait. The σ2SCA was higher than σ2GCA for all traits which earlier recorded for both types of significant gene action denoting the prevalence of non-additive gene action for these traits except days to 50% flowering. The highest GCA effect was observed in AB-08-14 for fruit yield plant-1, fruit diameter and number of marketable fruit plant-1. AB-08-14 × GBL-3, AB-08-14 × Pusa Kranti and JDNB-110 × NBL-15 were the top 3 best specific combiners for fruit yield plant-1. Furthermore, the parents with the best per se performance were also observed as the best general combiners indicating a positive coalition between per se performance and GCA and the hybrids with high SCA effects do not necessarily involve the parents exhibiting high GCA effects. Which showed the importance of inter-allelic interactions for the inheritance of such traits. SCA which have non-fixable genetic materials were potential parameters for heterosis breeding for brinjal where, commercial exploitation of heterosis is feasible and choice of best hybrid combination based on GCA and SCA effects supplemented with per se performance could be more realistic and useful.