Combining Ability Analysis for Fruit Yield and its Contributing Traits in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Author: Y.J. Chaudhary, D.A. Patel, N.A. Patel and K.C. Patel

Download PDF

Abstract

Combining ability study for fruit yield and its contributing traits in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) was carried out at Main Vegetable Research Station, Anand Agricultural University, Anand during kharif-rabi 2023-24. The experimental materials consisted of 40 genotypes; comprising 28 hybrids developed using line × tester design, 4 lines and 7 testers, and one standard check hybrid Arka Rakshak. The variance due to general combining ability and specific combining ability were significant suggesting the importance of both additive and non-additive gene action for inheritance of most of the traits except for days to marketable maturity and number of locules. However, the ratio of σ2gca/σ2sca was less than unity which revealed that predominant role of non-additive gene action for the expression of all the traits except average fruit weight for which additive genetic variance was more important. The predominance of non-additive gene action resulted in enormous heterotic response in fruit yield and its attributes including quality traits and thus heterosis breeding would be more useful for exploiting parents worth. Among females ATL 23-06 and GAT 5 and among males ATL 21-18, GP 19, ATL 97-26 and DHTO-65 were found as good general combiners for most of the characters. Therefore, these parents would be of immense value for simultaneous improvement of desirable agronomical/morphological attributes in addition to heterosis breeding. Among the 28 crosses, cross ATL 23-06 × ATL 21-01 was found good specific combiner for fruit yield per plant. It was also found good specific combiner for fruits per plant, fruit length, total soluble sugars and titratable acidity. Estimates of sca effects did not reveal any specific trend among the crosses. The crosses exhibited high sca effects for fruit yield per plant and different component characters did not always involve both parents as good combiners, thereby suggesting the importance of intra as well as inter-allelic interactions

Keywords

Combining ability, gca, Gene action, sca, tomato

Conclusion

The variance due to general combining ability and specific combining ability were significant suggesting the importance of both additive and non-additive gene action for inheritance of most of the traits. However, the ratio of σ2gca/σ2sca was less than unity which revealed that predominant role of non-additive gene action for the expression of all the traits except average fruit weight for which additive genetic variance was more important. Among females ATL 23-06 and GAT 5 and among males ATL 21-18, GP 19, ATL 97-26 and DHTO-65 were found as good general combiners for most of the characters. Therefore, these parents would be of immense value for simultaneous improvement of desirable agronomical/morphological attributes in addition to heterosis breeding. Among the 28 crosses, cross ATL 23-06 × ATL 21-01 was found good specific combiner for fruit yield per plant. It was also found good specific combiner for fruits per plant, fruit length, total soluble sugars and titratable acidity

References

-

How to cite this article

Y.J. Chaudhary, D.A. Patel, N.A. Patel and K.C. Patel (2024). Combining Ability Analysis for Fruit Yield and its Contributing Traits in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Biological Forum – An International Journal, 16(7): 123-134.