| dc.description.abstract | The experimental was conducted at the Plant Breeding Research Field, Hajee
Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University during March, 2017 to May,
2018. Three testers and nine lines were crossed in all possible combinations and twenty
seven hybrids were produced. The ratio of line: tester was 2:1 in the field. The lines were
tasseled just after complete emergence to protect self-pollination or inbreeding.
Therefore, pollens were available in both direction to successfully complete the crossing
program. Before pollination, the silky stigmas were slightly cut to concurrent emergence
and covered with brown paper bag. The pollens were collected from the tester tassels in
brown paper bag and dusted on the silky stigmas regularly. The hybrid cobs were
collected to grow in the next season. The hybrids were tested for eleven characters like
plant height (cm), cob height (cm), cob length (cm), cobs per plant, cob diameter (cm),
kernel rows per cob, kernels per row, and kernels per cob, cob weight per plant, 110-
kernel weight and yield per plant (g). The general combining ability (gca) of the parents
(lines and testers) and specific combining ability (sca0 for the hybrid combinations were
estimated. The ANOVA revealed significant variation for all characters under study. The
lines x Testers exerted maximum contribution to attained differential response of the
hybrids. Since, lodging at maturity and grain size are the predominant characters along
with yield per plant, so plant height at maturity and 100- kernel weight revealed suitable
cross combinations. The desirable combinations for lodging resistance were ML21 x
ML5, ML21 x ML12, M and 21 x ML 15 as projected by their negative and significant
sca effects but only a single combination ML3 x ML5 showed significant and positive
sca effect. Both heterosis over better parent and sca effects were simultaneously
considered to select the outstanding cross combinations. Accordingly, ten hybrid
combinations showed positive and significant sca effects for yield per plant but the
simultaneous combination of heterosis , it is noted that three hybrids combinations such
as, ML 21 x ML30, ML3 x ML30 and ML 21 x ML15 were found to be superior than the
other hybrid combinations. Since the farmers of our country prefer single cross hybrids
more, the outstanding three cross combinations may be launched with a view to release
commercial hybrids for the farmers of our country. | en_US |
