Studies on combining ability for yield related traits in Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum- graecum L.) .

The present investigation entitled “ Studies on combining ability for yield related traits in Fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum- garacum L.) . .” was conducted during Rabi seasons of 2018-19 (E1) and 2019-20 (E2) at the Main Experiment Station (MES). Department of Vegetable Science, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Narendra Nagar, Kumarganj, Ayodhya (U.P.) India. Ten homozygous, superior and optimally divergent lines of fenugreek having Indian adaptability were used for carrying out half diallel design to study General Combining Ability (GCA) and Specific Combining Ability (SCA) estimates for Days to 50 per cent flowering, Days to maturity, Plant height (cm), Number of branches per plant, pod length (cm), Number of pods per plant, Number of seed per pods, Test weight (g), Biological yield (g), Harvest index (%) and yield per plant (g). The analysis of variances due to both GCA and SCA were significant, suggesting that both additive and non-additive genetic variance were involved for genetic control of the character Number of pods per plant, Number of seed per pods and yield per plant (g). However, the variance due to GCA was more pronounced for Days to 50 per cent flowering, Days to maturity, pod length (cm), Number of pods per plant, Number of seed per pods, Test weight (g), Biological yield (g), Harvest index (%) and yield per plant (g), as a result of additive gene action. The parents P 2 , P 4 and P 7 were best general combiner for earliness, whereas P 4 , P 6 and P 9 showed best GCA effect for yield during the both season and over the season (Pooled). The best ten crosses having high negative SCA effects for days to 50 per cent flowering during both season and four crosses during E 1 , five crosses E 2 and pooled for days to maturity showed best specific combiner for earliness. Forty five crosses, only thirty crosses in E1, twenty four crosses in E2 and thirty one crosses in pooled exhibited positive and significant SCA effects, indicating good specific combining ability for yield per plant.