COMBINING ABILITY FOR YIELD AND COMPONENT CHARACTERS IN RICE (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

Combining ability for ten quantitative and physical characters in rice was studied through Line × Tester analysis involving eight lines and four testers. The mean squares of variance for Line × Tester interaction was significant for all the characters expect grain length and grain breadth. The combining ability analysis revealed non-additive gene action governing the characters viz., days to first flower, plant height, panicles plant-1, grain yield plant-1 and grain L/B ratio. GCA variance predominance over SCA was recorded for days to first flower, plant height, grains panicle-1 and grain yield plant-1. Among the parents, the lines L3 (AD 95137), L4 (AD 95157) and L8 (MDU 5) and testers T2 (ADT 36), T3 (ADT 43) and T4 (IR 50) were good combiners for grain yield and most of the yield component characters studied. Hence, crosses involving these parents were identified as suitable for recombination breeding.