Plant Science Journal
Volume 1, No. 1, 2022
Pages 84-94
DOI: 10.36108/psj/2202.10.0150
Assessment of Combining Ability Impact on F1 Generation for Different Quantitative Traits in BT and Non-BT Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)
HOCLAB, Zaainam
Agriculture Research Institute (ARI), Quetta
*Corresponding author: Email: clabzaa@gmail.com
Abstract
General and specific combining ability are one of the important plant breeding tools used to compare performances of lines in F1 population across growth and yield contributing traits. The experiment was carried out in 2014 under the agroecological condition of Tandojam, Sindh Pakistan based on a randomized complete block design with four replications. Six parents and their crosses (nine hybrids), in which three female parents as lines (Bt-008, IR-1525, and neelam-131) and three male parents as testers (NIA Sadori, NIA Ufaq and NIA Perkh) were evaluated in the study. In F1 generation, the mean squares for combining ability for targeted characteristics displayed highly significant (p<0.01) general combining ability effects in lines for all traits except lint index. But in the case of testers, the GCA effects were significant for sympodial branches plant-1, seed index, and seed cotton yield plant-1 and highly significant only for monopodial branches plant-1, ginning outturn%, staple length. While, mean squares values for the interaction of line x tester revealed highly significant specific combing ability effects for plant height, monopodial branches plant-1, boll weight, and GOT%. The two parents Neelam-131 and NIA Ufaq manifested higher general combining ability effects and were good general combiners for yield and yield components and can make a potential material for varietal seed development. For yield contributing characters, crosses IR-1525 × NIA Ufaq and IR-1525 × Perkh showed significant SCA effects among the rest of the crosses. From this study, it is suggested that crosses exhibiting greater SCA value and parents indicating good GCA value must be chosen for enhancement of a specific trait.
Keywords: BT cotton, General combining ability, hybrids, non-BT cotton, specific combining ability.