Diallel Analysis for Yield and Yield Components in Pearl Millet

Combining ability was studied in 8×8 diallel set, excluding reciprocals, for grain yield and its 12 attributes in pearl millet. Both GCA and SCA variances were highly significant for all characters. The predictability ratio of GCA and SCA revealed preponderance of additive genetic variance for plant height, ear head length, ear head girth and 1000 grain weight, whereas, non-additive genetic variance for days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, number of effective tillers per plant, fodder yield per plant, harvest index and grain yield per plant, while, both were equally important for number of nodes, ear head weight and threshing index. The parents like J-2420, J-2441, J-2440 and J-2340 were identified as good general combiners for grain yield per plant and some other components. Majority of their crosses had also displayed significant and desirable SCA effects, coupled with high per se performance for grain yield per plant. The hybrids viz., J-2420×J-2480, J-2340×J-2440 and J-2440×J-2420 were the most promising having good SCA, along with with high per se performance and heterobeltiosis for grain yield. Analyses of crosses revealed majority of the superior crosses were involved high×low; and few cases high×high or low×low general combiners.