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In crop improvement, delineating inheritance pattern of a character guides a plant breeder to choose appropriate breeding procedure, which enables ease of improving phenotypic expression of the traits. To deduce the inheritance pattern of naked seed or fuzzless character, four parental lines involving two purely naked seed types (DHN‐1 and DHN‐10), one partial naked seed type (SP46CC) and one fully fuzzy type (OSB415) were used to develop three different types of crosses, namely, naked × naked seed type cross (N × N), partial naked × naked seed type cross (PN × N) and fuzzy × naked seed type cross (F × N). We observed that naked trait segregates in the ratio of 11 naked: 5 partial naked in N × N cross, 22 naked: 42 partial naked in PN × N cross and 22 naked: 42 partial naked: 192 fuzzy in F × N cross. Our study reports a novel four‐gene model to understand inheritance nature of naked seed character where the presence of single basic dominant fuzzy gene negates the effect of genes controlling nakedness resulting fuzzy phenotype irrespective of the number of partial fuzzyness/nakedness imparting alleles. This indicates that nakedness is recessive to fuzzyness. Based on our results, we infer observing gradations of nakedness on seeds depends on the presence of number of partial fuzzyness imparting alleles, which led to a conclusion that the trait exhibited dose‐dependent expression with one basic gene for fuzziness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic variability for seed cotton yield and itscomponents were studied in three segregating F2 populations of cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.). Significant variation was recorded for major traits in all the three F2 populations. Traits such as plant height (20 cm to 143 cm), bolls plant per plant (1 to 30), boll weight (2.0 g to 6.8 g) and seed cotton yield per plant (1.8 g to 115 g) exhibited wide range.High PCV and GCV estimates were recorded for all the traits under study except days to 50 per cent flowering and days to boll opening. High broad sense heritability and genetic advance over mean was observedin case of major yield attributing traits. Mid parent heterosis and inbreeding depression was significant for seed cotton yield per plant in the three F2 populations. The results suggest that the variation generated in the F2 populations would be useful in selecting superior genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of variability in sorghum is the main reason for the stagnation in crop improvement including low heterosis. Studies on somaclonal mutations of sorghum have led to the development of a diverse axillary branched grain sorghum mutant, Sb ABM of postrainy season variety A-1 (Annigeri-1) which bears multiple panicles. Considering its developmental significance and phenotypic diversity, this mutant was subjected to detailed genetic analysis. To exploit its genetic potentiality, the mutant was involved in a full diallel study along with ruling varieties to assess the combining ability and to quantify the magnitude of heterosis. Sb ABM performed exceptionally well in hybrid combinations for all the traits. Mean squares due to genotypes were highly significant for all the traits. The results on general combining ability revealed that Sb ABM was significantly better general combiner for all the traits studied. Majority of the hybrids involving Sb ABM as parental line exhibited high degree of heterosis for most of the traits, finally contributing to overall plant's vigour. However, Sb ABM did not restore fertility on both milo and maldandi cytoplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]