Combining ability and gene action in experimental hybrids of Sweet Corn (Zea mays var. saccharata)

Abstract

Combining ability effect was estimated for sixty crosses produced in Line × Tester design using twenty sweet corn parents as female with three sweet corn cultivars as testers. General and specific combining ability for all the traits were found to be significant, suggesting both additive and dominance variance were operating for these traits. Proportionately, the additive variance component was higher in magnitude than dominance component. Based on per se and GCA effects the best combiners for more than one trait are IPSA-2710, IPSA- 2713 and IPSA-2703. IPSA-2710 was good general combiner for days to tasseling, silking and maturity. For ear weight with husk, without husk and grain yield, the parent IPSA-2713 was found superior, and IPSA-2703 for TSS and cob length. While IPSA-2707 had good GCA for ear weight with husk, without husk, TSS and grain yield. Among the crosses, based on superior per se performance and SCA effect, IPSA-2696 × T2 and IPSA-2698 × T1 were superior for 100 kernel weight and grain yield. IPSA-2714 × T3, IPSA-2698 × T1 and IPSA-2700 × T2 were found superior for ear weight with and without husk and grain yield.