Line x tester analysis for fixed effect model in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Area of Science:

• Agronomy
• Plant Breeding
• Genetics

Background:

• Understanding gene action is crucial for improving crop yield.
• Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) breeding programs aim to enhance productivity through genetic selection.
• Combining ability analysis helps identify superior parents for hybrid development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the combining ability of cotton parental lines.
• To determine the gene action controlling seed cotton yield and its components.
• To identify elite parental lines for future cotton breeding strategies.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of variance for specific combining ability (SCA) and general combining ability (GCA).
• Experiment design involving three testers and 12 cotton lines.
• Evaluation of traits including seed cotton yield, number of bolls, boll weight, monopodes, and sympodes.

Main Results:

• Higher specific combining ability variance for seed cotton yield and number of bolls suggests non-additive gene action predominance.
• Parental line H777 showed high GCA effects for seed cotton yield and number of bolls.
• Parent H842 was significant for boll weight, and H655 for monopodes.

Conclusions:

• Non-additive gene effects, alongside additive effects, are significant for cotton productivity.
• Exploiting hybrid vigor for boll number and boll weight can increase cotton yield.
• Both fixable (additive) and non-fixable (non-additive) genetic components should be utilized for enhancing cotton productivity.