Study of Combining Ability and Nature of Gene Action for Yield and Yield Related Traits in Maize (Zea mays L.)

The present investigation was carried out using thirty eight genotypes (eight parents, twenty eight F1's and two checks) using Griffing's half diallel mating design. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications during kharif 2017 at the research farm of Bihar Agriculture College, Sabour. Observations were recorded for six pre-harvest characters viz days to 50% anthesis, days to 50% silking, anthesis silking interval, days to 75% brown husk, plant height, ear height and seven post-harvest characters viz cob length, cob diameter, number of kernel rows per cob, number of kernels per row, 1000 seed weight, shelling percentage and grain yield at 15% moisture. The mean sum of square of treatments was found to be significant for days to 75% brown husk and shelling per cent and highly significant for all other characters. The mean sum of square for GCA was found to be significant for cob length, no. of kernel row per cob, no. of kernels per row and highly significant for remaining all the characters except days to 75% brown husk and shelling%. The mean sum of square for SCA was significant for days to 75% brown husk and highly significant for all the remaining characters. On the basis of GCA effect for grain yield at 15% moisture, the parents BML-7, VQL-1 and SML-1 were found to be good general combiners. The ratio of GCA variance to SCA variance was found to be less than 1 for all the traits which indicated the preponderance of non-additive gene action. On the basis of SCA effects better performing crosses for grain yield at 15% moisture were DTPYC-9 × LM-13, CLQRCY-44 × VQL-1, CML-161 × SML-1 and CML-161× BML-7.