Study on the estimation of magnitude and direction of heterosis and combining ability of nutritional quality traits in bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl]

Abstract

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.) is a highly adaptable, nutritional rich, culinary versatility and affordability vegetable crop. In the present study a field experiment was conducted at Research Farm of Department of Vegetable Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar to estimate the heterosis and combining ability in bottle gourd in half-diallel mating design involving eight diverse genotypes. Observations were recorded for different nutritional quality traits, with special emphasis on total soluble solids (TSS), ascorbic acid content and titratable acidity. Results revealed that several hybrids exhibited significant positive heterosis for nutritional parameters. Based on the performance of hybrids for relative heterosis, heterobeltiosis and standard heterosis, the cross GH-63 × GH-74 emerged as the most promising combination. Combining ability analysis revealed significant general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects for the traits under study. Among the parents, GH-60 was identified as a good general combiner for all quality traits except titratable acidity. The crosses GH-63 × GH-71, GH-71 × GH-74 and GH-60 × GH-72 showed significant potential specific combining ability for all the nutritional quality traits among the 28 evaluated hybrids. So, these parents can be used for further recombination breeding programme. The magnitude of σ²SCA was higher than σ²GCA for all traits, indicating the predominance of non-additive gene action, particularly dominance effects, in their inheritance. These findings highlight the effectiveness of heterosis breeding for the genetic enhancement of nutritional quality traits in bottle gourd. Overall, the study underscores the importance of improving nutrient composition and identifies promising parental lines and hybrid combinations for future breeding programs.