Genetic studies for seed yield and its components in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

• Main Authors: Iqbal Ahmed, V.L. Gawande, S.S. Nichal and, R.D. Ratnaparkhi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Indian Society of Plant Breeders 2016-12-01
• Series: Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding
• Subjects: safflower; line x tester; combining ability; seed yield; oil content
• Online Access: http://ejplantbreeding.org/index.php/EJPB/article/view/1145

General and specific combining ability variances and effects for ten characters related to yield and its contributing traits in safflower were studied using Line x Tester matting design in thirty CMS based hybrids involving 15 lines and two testers along with two checks (AKS 207 & PKV Pink). Combining ability analysis indicated the predominance of non-additive gene action for all the traits under study except seed volume weight for which both additive and non-additive gene actions were found equally important. The parents viz., GMU 2952, GMU 5609 and GMU 3420 among the males and AKS CMS 2A among the females were found good general combiners for seed yield and most of the yield contributing traits whereas for oil content GMU 3420, GMU 3715 and AKS CMS 2A were found good general combiners. For seed yield per plant the cross AKS CMS 3A x GMU 3638 was found significantly superior in addition to number of seeds per capsule. Whereas, AKS CMS 2A x GMU 2900 for seed volume weight, AKS CMS 2A x GMU 3923 for 100 seed weight, AKS CMS 2A x AKS 207 for number of seeds per capsule, AKS CMS 2A x GMU 322 for number of capsule per plant, AKS CMS 3A x GMU 3420 for number of primary branches per plant were identified as good cross combinations. Desired and fertile segregates may be isolated from segregating material of these crosses in the advanced generations if crosses are effected again by using ‘B’ lines of CMS based females along with same male parents in concerned crosses as these crosses involved CMS line as female parent. Further, early generation segregates may be intermated with each other to break undesirable linkages and obtain desirable segregates for seed yield and its contributing traits due to predominance of SCA variance for almost all the traits.