COMBINING ABILITY ANALYSIS FOR EARLINESS IN BREADWHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM L. EM. THELL) UNDER NORMAL AND SALT AFFECTED SOILS

Abstract

Eight breadwheat genotypes were crossed in half diaIlel fashion. Combining ability analysis for days to flowering and maturity was studied in Fl and F2 generations under normal, sodic and saline sodic soils. The variances due to gca and sca were significant, the former being much larger in magnitude than the latter in Fl and F2 under each environment as well as in pooled analysis. The gca x environment and sca x environment interaction variances were highly significant in Fl and F2 for both traits. The parents HW 452, Lok 1 and Raj 1972were good general combiners for earliness in Fl and F2underall environments. Amongst all the crosses, Kharchia 65 x Raj 1972 was most promising for earliness under each environment. Most crosses showing desirable significant sea effects involved either high x low or low Xlow general combiners.