HETEROSIS FOR GRAIN YIELD IN PEARL MILLET (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. emend stuntz)

摘要

Twenty-five genetically diverse pearl millet inbred lines (male parents) were crossed with each of four male sterile lines (female parents). The experiment comprised of 100 hybrids, four fertile counterparts (B line) of male sterile lines, twenty fivepollinator parents, and three commercially cultivated hybrids used as checks, that were laid out in a randomized block design replicated three times at three different locations. Checks were included only for computation of standard heterosis. Analysisof variance indicated the presence of significant genetic variability among the genotypes for grain yield under all the three locations. All analyses of variance for yield that were pooled over the three environments indicated that the significant mean squares were due to parents and hybrids. Genotype x Environment (GxE) interactions were also found significant and partitioning of GxE interaction indicated that different parents as well as different hybrids showed differential responses in three environments. The mean squares due to environment were highly significant indicating sufficient diversity among the environments. Six hybrids, namely, 843A x RIB-3135-18, 841A x RIB-3135-18, 88004A x RIB-3135-18, 81A x RIB 3135-18, 843A x 20-K-86, and 81A x 20-K-86, maintained their consistently superior performance over the superior check variety, and can be exploited over wide areas. Amongst the pollinator lines, RIB 3135-18 and 20-K-86 performed better by yielding highly heterotic hybrids in all the locations and also on a pooled basis and can be used for breeding heterotic hybrids.