Additive Gene Action and Cross-Specific Heterosis Shape Yield Traits in Pigeonpea: Evidence from NC-III Design

Additive Gene Action and Cross-Specific Heterosis Shape Yield Traits in Pigeonpea: Evidence from NC-III Design | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Additive Gene Action and Cross-Specific Heterosis Shape Yield Traits in Pigeonpea: Evidence from NC-III Design Ashish Bhatt, Sanjay Kumar Verma, Ravindra Kumar Panwar, Anju Arora, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9467854/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Understanding the relative contribution of additive and non-additive gene effects is essential for designing efficient breeding strategies in pigeonpea ( Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.). The present study employed a North Carolina Design III (NC-III) in biparental populations derived from three crosses (PADT-16 × Pusa 992, PADT-16 × UPAS 120, and PADT-16 × PAU 881) to simultaneously dissect genetic variance components, heritability, and heterotic responses for ten agronomic traits. Significant variability among progenies indicated effective recombination and generation of exploitable genetic diversity. Additive variance predominated for most traits, particularly number of pods per plant and plant height, suggesting high potential for selection-based improvement, whereas dominance effects were appreciable for seed yield and pod length in specific crosses, indicating the importance of non-additive gene action. Moderate to high narrow-sense heritability coupled with substantial genetic advance further supported the effectiveness of early-generation selection for key traits. Heterosis analysis revealed cross-specific advantages, with PADT-16 × Pusa 992 exhibiting superior performance for yield-related traits, while PADT-16 × PAU 881 was advantageous for earliness and seed attributes. By integrating variance components, heritability, variability, and heterotic responses, this study proposes a trait-specific and cross-specific breeding framework that aligns genetic architecture with optimized selection strategies. The findings provide practical insights for improving yield and adaptability in pigeonpea and demonstrate the utility of NC-III-derived biparental populations for decision-oriented breeding. biparental mating gene action heterosis heritability pigeonpea NC-III design Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9467854","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":628493947,"identity":"692e9420-3241-4a09-bbd3-37322bacfc4b","order_by":0,"name":"Ashish Bhatt","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABLElEQVRIie2PMUvDQBTHXzi4LBey3iDJV7gQaCsifpWUQKfUT1Bjp3NRu2bwQ2QqjhcO0yXS9TaHgINTpSANBDGxZigkxVEwv+Hu3uP9ePcH6On5kxAQ2nz/FAAUAKHqBnryCwU1CvZqhRxToFGaDvvpt2MunpOkeLyyhvoiEbtyZA9vyPZNzUYEdPkUtyhUXXrSyFbu6a2E5I5T50Eay7MgrT5GJhPVtkYRJjWejmPlg9TmVIuQsXQDXCmUDNoUe52xpODpdfySg4SSXkSIvLrBZ7fCRMCEwWceU6hSMB1XCsqnvFtxVMCkwYUTZz6rs/gRwgM0vacEd2Sx1pn7XvDQZqsk3+zK8DwyZb4NPkLL1GXaGn+PPKgw/T67x2vCgwptjk/39PT0/DO+AEBRaA3ln7AaAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ashish","middleName":"","lastName":"Bhatt","suffix":""},{"id":628493948,"identity":"ec4ff3f5-bfd0-434a-8850-f0081181ff28","order_by":1,"name":"Sanjay Kumar Verma","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sanjay","middleName":"Kumar","lastName":"Verma","suffix":""},{"id":628493949,"identity":"fd732612-c1b2-4a48-9c9b-ffadfae483f7","order_by":2,"name":"Ravindra Kumar Panwar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ravindra","middleName":"Kumar","lastName":"Panwar","suffix":""},{"id":628493950,"identity":"dd5b8b95-8c04-46dc-b854-988b40c32389","order_by":3,"name":"Anju Arora","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Anju","middleName":"","lastName":"Arora","suffix":""},{"id":628493951,"identity":"857dde7c-4b53-4673-a478-2dcdfe9b0fbb","order_by":4,"name":"Harikant Yadav","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Harikant","middleName":"","lastName":"Yadav","suffix":""},{"id":628493952,"identity":"a7953510-5264-4b5f-9c44-f3b2d2dce796","order_by":5,"name":"S. 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Millsp.). The present study employed a North Carolina Design III (NC-III) in biparental populations derived from three crosses (PADT-16 \u0026times; Pusa 992, PADT-16 \u0026times; UPAS 120, and PADT-16 \u0026times; PAU 881) to simultaneously dissect genetic variance components, heritability, and heterotic responses for ten agronomic traits. Significant variability among progenies indicated effective recombination and generation of exploitable genetic diversity. Additive variance predominated for most traits, particularly number of pods per plant and plant height, suggesting high potential for selection-based improvement, whereas dominance effects were appreciable for seed yield and pod length in specific crosses, indicating the importance of non-additive gene action. Moderate to high narrow-sense heritability coupled with substantial genetic advance further supported the effectiveness of early-generation selection for key traits. Heterosis analysis revealed cross-specific advantages, with PADT-16 \u0026times; Pusa 992 exhibiting superior performance for yield-related traits, while PADT-16 \u0026times; PAU 881 was advantageous for earliness and seed attributes. By integrating variance components, heritability, variability, and heterotic responses, this study proposes a trait-specific and cross-specific breeding framework that aligns genetic architecture with optimized selection strategies. 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