LINE x TESTER ANALYSIS AND ESTIMATING COMBINING ABILITIES FOR YIELD AND SOME YIELD COMPONENTS IN BREAD WHEAT

WOS: 000355062000011Estimating of combining ability is useful to assess genotypes and elucidate the nature and magnitude of gene actions involved. Aim of this study was to determine the combining abilities of some wheat genotypes for yield and some yield related traits by using line x tester mating design. Four advanced wheat lines and one cultivar were used as lines and four wheat genotypes were used as testers. The specific combining ability (SCA) effects were generally found higher than general combining ability effects (GCA) in terms of the agronomic traits studied. As a result, low ratios of sigma(2)(GCA)/sigma(2)(SCA), (sigma(2)(D)/sigma(2)(A))(1/2) and low narrow sense heritabilities showed that nonadditive effects controlled the traits studied. Hence, the selection process for superior individual plants should be postponed to further generations like F-4 or F-5