COMBINING ABILITY AND HETEROSIS OF POPCORN (Zea mays var. everta)

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess on combining ability and heterosis in popcorn produced through Line × Tester matting design. Eight S5 lines of popcorn used as female and four as male were crossed in a Line × Tester to produce F1 hybrid at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur during Rabi 2012-13. The produced 32 F1s, 8 lines and 4 testers were evaluated along with two commercial check in the following year at the same station to determine the general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects for 16 parameters on growth, yield and yield contributing traits and popping quality traits. Highly significant genotypic differences were observed which indicated wide range of variability present among the genotypes. Parents PCB/S5-12 and PCB/S5-13 were found promising and could be used for obtaining higher yield as well as popping quality. The crosses with high SCA effect for grain yield evolved from high × low general combiner parents were revealed additive × dominance types of gene action. The cross combinations PCB/S5-13×T17, PCB/S5-13×Thai, PCB/S5-13×T8, PCB/S5-25×T2 PCB/S5-15×T2, PCB/S5-16×Thai, PCB/S5-30×T17, PCB/S5-39×T8, PCB/S5-39×T17 and PCB/S5-39×Thai possessed high means for quality traits heterotic for yield and SCA values could be used for obtaining high yielding quality popcorn hybrids. The information on the nature of gene action with respective genotype and characters might be used as donor depending on the breeding objectives.