Bitter gourd is a warm season versatile vegetable of the cucurbitaceae family and has economical, medicinal and horticultural importance. Heterosis is a significant phenomenon that increases the yield potential of the crop by taking advantage of the additive and dominant effects of genes for different traits present in the parents. Bitter gourd productivity in India is low due to a lack of suitable hybrids so exploitation of hybrid vigour is one of the finest options for increasing crop yield and production. The present study was carried out to develop 28 hybrids by crossing 7 lines and 4 testers in line × tester fashion. Hybrids were evaluated along with parents and checks in the randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two replications. Heterosis was observed for all the yield and yield attributing characters. IC-470550 × Preethi, Gy 3-1-1-1-2 × Phule Green Gold and IC-505623 × Preethi hybrids performed better for the yield and its related traits with maximum heterosis over the better parent and checks. These crosses can be exploited in crop improvement by generating transgressive segregants.

Bitter gourd, Hybrids, Relative heterosis, Heterobeltiosis, Economic heterosis, Yield

Cross combinations such as IC-470550 × Preethi, Gy 3-1-1-1-2 × Phule Green Gold and IC-505623 × Preethi were best performing for the yield and its related traits with maximum heterosis and can be exploited for crop improvement. It can be concluded that heterosis can be exploited for commercial cultivation in these cross combinations.

Jagannath Rajamma Meghashree, Vasant Magundappa Ganiger, Jyothi Somashekhara Aravinda Kumar, Gurubasappa Bhuvaneshwari, Jnaneshwar Basavanneppa Gopali, Shashikanth Evoor, Sarvamangala Shidramappa Cholin and Raghavendra Gunnaiah (2023). Estimation of Heterosis for Yield and Yield contributing Traits in Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.). Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(8): 116-124.