COMBINING ABILITY ANALYSIS OVER CROPPING SYSTEMS FOR GRAIN YIELD AND RELATED CHARACTERS IN PIGEONPEA

Abstract

Combining ability analysis for grain yield and its components in diallel crosses involving seven diverse pigeonpea cultivars over three cropping systems, viz., sole crop, intercrop with sorghum and intercrop with pearl millet revealed the predominance of additive gene effects for these characters. Pooled analysis showed that gca and sca variances interacted significantly with the cropping systems for all the characters. The cropping system was found in altering the ranking of the parents for gca effects and also for general perfonnance. Parents BON 2, ICP 6997, PBNA 54 and Oaithna Local were the best general combiners for all the characters except days to maturity. Prabhat showed consistence desirable gca effects for days to maturity. The hybrids ICP 6997 X PBNA 54 and ICP 6997 X BON 2 showed significant sca effects for grain yield and high per se perfonnance under all three cropping systems.