Heterosis and combining ability in diverse A and R lines of pearl millet tested in Western Rajasthan

The present study was conducted to estimate the combining ability and heterosis in pearl millet hybrids. Forty five pearl millet hybrids were developed using three male sterile lines (A line) with fifteen restore lines (R line) through the Line x Tester mating approach and were evaluated during kharif, 2018. Analysis of variance revealed that the mean square of treatments showed significance for all the traits. For days to 50 % flowering and days to maturity, lines viz., ICMA 93333, ICMA 97111, BIB 186, BIB 193 and BIB 281 had negative gca effect so these lines can be used as parents for hybrid development under harsh environmental conditions. Based on sca effect, heterosis and per se performance, crosses ICMA 97111 x BIB 208, ICMA 93333 x BIB 186 and ICMA 88004 x BIB 283 were identified as potential crosses for commercial exploitation of heterosis in pearl millet.