Author(s):

Jyoti Kumari and DA Chauhan

Abstract: The present investigations were carried out with a view to know the extent of heterobeltiosis, standard heterosis, general and specific combining ability in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.). Thirty hybrids were developed by adopting full diallel mating design. A set of thirty eight cowpea entries including six parents (NCK-15-9, NCK-15-10, NC-15-41, NC-15-42, NC-15-44 and NC-15-45), thirty crosses and two check varieties, GC-3 and GDVC-2 evaluated at three locations viz. Navsari, Mangrol and Achhalia using randomized block design with three replications during Kharif-2017. The observations were recorded on parents and F₁’s for traits viz. Days to 50 per cent flowering, plant height (cm), primary branches per plant, days to maturity, pods per plant, pod length (cm), pod length (cm), seeds per pod, test weight (g), grain yield per plant (g), straw yield per plant (g), harvest index (per cent) and protein content (per cent). Combining ability analysis revealed significant general and specific combining ability for all the characters across the environment. Reciprocal variances were found to be significant for number of characters. The specific combining ability variances were found more important compared to general combining ability variances for all the traits indicated preponderance of non-additive gene effects. A fairly close association between per se performance of parents and their GCA effects were observed for grain yield per plant and its related traits. Similarly, strong relationship between per se performance of hybrids and their SCA effects were also observed for all the traits. Parents, NCK-15-10, NC-15-41 and NC-15-45 were found to be most promising due to their high yielding potential and significant general combining ability effects for yield and attributes. The cross combination NC-15-45 X NCK-15-10, NC-15-45 X NC-15-41 and NCK-15-10 X NC-15-45 recorded high per se performance for grain yield per plant, resulted from good x good general combiners. Cross NC-15-45 X NCK-15-10 advocated non-significant SCA effect for grain yield per plant.

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