A STUDY OF COMBINING ABILITY FOR GRAIN YIELD AND SMUT SEVERITY IN PEARL MILLET

Abstract

Com...... aIJiIity e&ds were estimated for grain yield aod __ severity in a line X tester \ c:nJIIiIIinc ~comprising 7t bybrIcIs produced by crossbIg 10 IIaes (S male sterile aod daeir S maintaiiIer 1Iaes) willi 7 ~of dI_ orhdD. The material was I'lIIa!J Ja.two.
etI....---ts (dates Gf sowing) at !lissai'. Parents and bybrids differoed signilkanOy for gal aod . sea dfects, respectively. 10 A aod II 8 ...... IIaes and H 833-2 IUIIOIIg testers showed COIIIlisteDdy hiP gal effects for grain yield Qd smut severity. ~additive aod lIOIIlIdditive
geoe effects seemed to. be importaDt in tbe coo"';" of the t_ characters. No cytoplasmic effect was observed in tbe development of smut disease. AmOJig hybrids, the best performance was giveo by CI1lI!IS 10 AX77/181 ......... J..l-S. The results indicated ~.the performance ,of bybrids for smut severity can be predicted with greater reliability b8sed on gal atone than for grain yield.