Genetic analysis of yield and other traits to unravel the mutagens mediated variability in Ethiopian mustard Brassica carinata A Braun

Abstract

newline The present study entitled Genetic analysis of yield and other traits to unravel the mutagens-mediated variability in Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata A. Braun) was carried out to congregate information on genetic architecture, combining ability, heterosis and inheritance of Alternaria blight resistance. The materials for the investigation comprised of 16 fixed mutant lines, three testers i.e. Jayanti, P(4)2b and their F1 (Jayanti × P(4)2b) and resulting 48 TTC hybrids. These progenies and their parents were grown in a randomized complete block design with three replications during rabi 2016-17 at the Experimental Farm of the Department of Crop Improvement, CSK HPKV, Palampur (H.P.). newlineAnalysis of variance indicated the significance of mean squares due to genotypes for all the traits which revealed the presence of sufficient genetic variability in the existing material. Triple test cross analysis exhibited the presence of significant epistasis for all the traits except for plant height and harvest index. Further, partitioning of epistasis revealed the importance of j+l type of epistasis for almost all the traits except for harvest index whereas, i type interaction were non-significant for all the traits except for days to 50 per cent flowering, number of secondary branches per plant, seeds per siliqua and oil content. Relative magnitude of additive component (D) was predominant over dominance component (H) for most of the traits except for seeds per siliquae, biological yield per plant and oil content. newlineThe line × tester analysis revealed that non-additive gene action (and#963;2 D) played a major role in the manifestation of almost all the traits except for days to flower initiation. The genotype P(4)2a was found to be good general combiner for seven traits followed by P22 for six traits, P74 for five traits and P36 for four traits, respectively. None of the crosses could reveal significant specific combining ability effect for all the traits. For seed yield per plant, five crosses viz., P(3)2 × J