Studies on heterosis, combining ability and gene action for earliness, yield and yield components in sponge gourd

Abstract

The heterosis and combining ability studies of eight parental lines of sponge gourd with half diallel analysis was conducted for earliness and yield contributing characters. The results indicated additive genetic effects for node of 1st female flower appearance. In contrast, sex ratio (M/F), fruits per plant and yield per plant were influenced by non-additive gene effects. While the characters namely vine length, number of primary branches, number of fruiting nodes on main stem, days to first staminate flower appearance, days to first pistillate flower appearance, days to 50% flowering, span of flowering, days to harvestable maturity from anthesis, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, number of seeds per fruit and seed index were controlled by both additive and non-additive gene effects. Among the parents Patna Local, IC-336759 and IC-284795 showed high significant positive GCA effects as well as per se performance for most of the yield and yield related attributes. Promising hybrids with respect to earliness and yield per vine were IC-336759 × Patna Local, IC-284795 × Patna Local and IC-284795 × IC-336759 which can be utilised for heterosis breeding programme for improvement in sponge gourd.