Study of combining ability analysis in half diallel crosses of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Combining ability analysis were performed in a 10 x 10 haif diallel cross of ten bread wheat genotypes for yield and its contributing traits. The experiment was conducted in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 at Crop Research Centre, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology, Modipuram, Meerut, UP. The results revealed that non-additive genetic variance play a predominant role in the inheritance of most of the traits. The best combinations mostly involved high x low and low x low general combiner for the characters under study. There was very rare case in which high x high general combiner were involved for best combinations. On the basis of gca and sca effects, two parents (i.e. PBW 373 and RAJ 3765) and 17 cross combinations (i.e. five best crosses namely, K 9423 x NW 1014, Unnat Halna x HUW 560, K 9423 x Unnat Halna, K 9162 x NW 1014, K 7903 x HUW 560), were found good general and specific combiners for higher grain yield and also for other yield contributing traits, respectively. These crosses may be used in heterosis breeding programme for developing new wheat genotype with broad genetic base by multiple crossing programmes. Therefore, crosses involving high x low general combiners in respect of different characters in the present study may be utilized for obtaining trasgressive segregants in the next generation resulting from dominance gene interaction.