Heterosis and combining ability estimates in linseed under salt affected soil

A half diallel analysis involving 10 parents and their 45 F-1's for some metric and quality traits in linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) was made to derive the information on the extent of heterosis over superior parent and relative magnitude of general and specific combining ability effects. Significant differences were observed for both general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) for all the traits studied. The high magnitude of GCA and SCA effects indicated the presence of both additive and non-additive gene interactions for the inheritance of different characters. Parents Parvati, Shubhra, Garima, Shekhar and JLS 9 were observed to be good general combiners for seed yield and they also showed good combining ability for most of the other characters as well. The common crosses on the basis of both heterotic response as well as SCA effects in relation to GCA effects were Shekhar x JLS 9, Parvati x JLS 9 and Garima x Parvati exhibited preponderance of additive x additive gene effects. Other crosses Meera x JLS 9, RL 996 x JLS 9, RL 996 x Acc. No. 442, Shikha x Meera, Shekhar x Meera, Shubhra x Meera, Shikha x JLS 9 and Shekhar x Acc. No. 442 manifested high heterotic response coupled with high SCA effects, mean and significant GCA effects of the parents involved, thereby, showing additive x dominance and dominance x dominance gene effects. Considering overall performance, it is suggested that population improvement concept with the use of bi-parental mating, reciprocal recurrent selection followed by concurrent breeding approach would be more useful for those; characters which are controlled by non-additive gene action.