Combining ability for yield and its contributing characters in Indian mustard

The combining ability analysis of five parents and their 10 F1s produced by Diallel mating system revealed that there were significant differences for all the characters in both the type of combining ability. For all the characters suggesting the involvement of both additive and non-additive gene effects in regulating the expression of different characters, GCA and SCA variances were important. The estimates of specific combining ability effects revealed that as many as four cross combinations exhibited significant and positive sca effects for seed yield/plant. The maximum significant positive sca effect was exhibited by Ashriwad × IC 589690 and IC 589690 × IC 447111 thus they were good hybrid combinations, contributing towards higher seed yield. These crosses were also found promising for other desirable traits, hence could be further evaluated in heterosis breeding programme. Simultaneously these hybrids could be selfed to obtain desirable recombinants in segregating generations for the development of superior genotypes