GENETIC STUDIES ON YIELD AND QUALITY PARAMETERS IN BIDI TOBACCO (NICOTIANA TABACUM L.)

Abstract

The genetic studies on the yield, quality and their attributes are very much limited in bidi tobacco. Hence, in a study carried out at Regional Agricultural Research Station Nandyal, Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh during 2017-18 and 2018-19, general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) estimates were made using line x tester design. Five lines and five testers were used to generate 25 F1 hybrids in all possible cross combinations. All the hybrids along with parents were grown in randomized block design with three replications and observations recorded on cured leaf yield per plant, days to flowering, number of leaves per plant, plant height, leaf length, leaf width, days to maturity, nicotine content and reducing sugar content. Analysis of the data through line x tester analysis indicated that the variance estimates due to general combining ability (GCA) were observed to be highly significant for most of the traits indicating most of the characters are governed by additive gene action. The estimates of variances due to specific combining ability (SCA) differed significantly for all the characters indicating the importance of nonadditive gene action for the inheritance of these traits. The estimates of GCA effects shown that the parents, ABD132, NyBD56, ABD146 and NBD290 were good general combiners for cured leaf yield and its related attributes. The estimates of SCA effects indicated that cross combinations of NBD289 X GT4, NBD289 X GT7 and ABD132 X NBD290 were significant and positive for cured leaf yield. These crosses showing significant SCA effect can be used to exploit transgressive segregants