STUDIES ON COMBINING ABILITY AND HETEROSIS IN FIELD PEA (PISUM SATIVUM L.)

Combining ability analysis carried out for ten characters using six diverse parents in field pea revealed that variance due to gca and sca were highly significant for days to maturity, plant height, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 100 seed weight and seed yield per plant, indicating the importance of both the additive and non-additive genetic components of variation. The parents DDR-44 and Rachna were good general combiners for grain yield and biological yield; HUP-2 for 100 seed weight and maturity; DMR-7 for number of pods per plant; HUDP-6 and DMR-41 for plant height; and HUP-2 and DDR-44 for protein content. The cross combinations viz., HUP-2 x DDR-44, Rachna x DDR-44, HUDP-6 x DMR-41 and DMR-7 x DMR-41 were the best with significant sea effects and high per se performance for seed yield. Heterosis over standard check (SC) was studied for ten characters in 15 hybrids. Considering the values of standard check, high heterotic effects were observed for days to maturity, protein content and 100 seed weight; moderate for days to flowering, number of seeds per pod, plant height and number of branches per plant. High heterotic response for seed yield per plant was mainly due to pods per plant. number of seeds per pod and 100 seed weight.