Genetic analysis for yield and its components in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench).

Combining ability variances and effects of yield and its components in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) were studied through half diallel analysis of 45 F1 hybrids derived by crossing 10 nearly homozygous germplasm lines namely P1(IC282248), P2(IC27826-A), P3(IC29119-B), P4(IC31398-A), P5(IC45732), P6(IC89819), P7(IC89976), P8(IC90107), P9(IC99716) and P10(IC111443) during mid kharif (July-October), 2009, at the Vegetable Research Station, Rajendranagar, Andhra Pradesh, India. Both additive and non-additive variances were important for a majority of the characters except plant height, fruit and shoot borer infestation on fruits and shoots and yellow vein mosaic virus infestation on plants. Genetic analysis revealed a preponderance of non-additive gene action for plant height, internodal length, days to 50% flowering, first flowering and fruiting node, fruit length and weight, total number of fruits and number of marketable fruits per plant, total yield and marketable yield per plant and yellow vein mosaic virus infestation on fruits and plants and a preponderance of additive gene action for number of branches per plant and fruit and shoot borer infestation on fruits and shoots. The parents P5(IC45732), P6(IC89819) and P7(IC89976) were high general combiners for total and marketable yield per plant and their associated traits, which could be exploited for developing prolific pure line varieties of okra. The crosses C23(IC29119-B × IC99716), C17(IC 27826-A × IC111443), C42(IC89976 × IC111443) were superior specific combiners for total and marketable yield per plant with the potential of being commercially exploited for the production of F1 hybrids. The cross combinations C42 (IC89976 × IC 111443) and (IC27826-A × IC89819) having one of the parents with positively significant general combining ability effects for total yield and marketable yield per plant could be utilized in recombination breeding with single plant selection in the passing generations to capitalize additive gene action to develop high yielding lines or varieties in okra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]