Combining ability of new pistillate lines for plant growth attributes, seed yield and its components in castor (Ricinus communis L).

Abstract

Combining ability of four newly developed pistillate lines were tested using Line x Tester analysis. Sixteen hybrids generated using four pistillate lines and four testers were studied along with parents and three checks to estimate combining ability for nine characters in castor. Non-additive gene action was preponderant in all the characters studied except for seed yield, which indicated a negative estimate. Among the female parents, IPC-15 (DPC-15) was a good general combiner for earliness and short plant height while IPC-19 (IPC-19) for late duration and tall plant height. Three pistillate lines, DPC-15 (IPC-15), DPC-19 (IPC-19) and DPC-21 (IPC-21) were identified as good general combiners for total and effective primary spike length. Among the eight parents studied, DCS-107 was a good general combiner for seed yield and other traits like total primary spike length, effective primary spike length and 100-seed weight. None of the hybrids were good specific combiners for seed yield and several other yield contributing characters while three hybrids viz., DPC-16 x DCS-107 (1800 kg/ha), DPC-15 x DCS-107 (1646 kg/ha) and DPC-21 x DCS-107 (1595 kg/ha) were identified as the top three performing hybrids. Among them, DPC-21 x DCS-107 (DCH-1720), has been tested in the All India Coordinated multi location trials for three years while DPC-15 x DCS-107 (PHT-12-2) wastested in three locations (2014-15) and found promising.