Heterosis and Combining Ability in Chilli for Yield and Yield Contributing Traits (Capsicum annuum L.)

Nine parents and their eighteen hybrids from a line x tester design were evaluated for fruit yield and its components. Line x tester interaction was found significant for all the traits except, plant height considered variance due to treatment were found to be significant for all the characters under study. Whereas, variance due to lines was found to be a significant for all the characters except, days to 50% flowering and fruit length while variance due to testers was found nonsignificant for all the characters. On the basis of gca effects across three characters, RHRC-Cluster-Erect, PBC-535, LCA-235 and LCA-206 were identified as most promising parents for involving in hybridization programme aimed in improving number of fruit per plant as well as other important yield and yield contributing characters. Cross combinations, KA-2 x PantC-1, LCA-235 x Pusa Jwala, PBC-535 x PantC-1, RHRC-Cluster-Erect x Pusa Jwala, RHRC-Cluster-Erect x LCA-206 and RHRC-Cluster-Erect x PantC-1 were recorded specific combiner for fresh yield per plant due to positive significant of sca effect. The manifestation of heterobeltiosis for fruit yield per plant was evidenced by significant superiority of two out of eighteen crosses over better parent ranging from 6.87% in case of RHRC-Cluster-Erect x PantC- 1 to 13.48% in case of KA-2 x LCA-206 while rest of the crosses showed significant negative estimates of heterobeltiosis.The most promising crosses with significant positive heterobeltiosis for fresh yield per plant were KA-2 x LCA-206 (15.91%), PBC-535 x PantC-1 (20.10%), RHRC-Cluster-Erect x Pusa Jwala (16.32%), RHRC-Cluster-Erect x LCA-206 (42.60%) and LCA-438 x PantC-1 (16.26%).