Estimation of combining ability for yield and components of yield in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

By diallel crossings (without reciprocal crossings) of four divergent genotypes we evaluated pepper combining ability for yield and components of yield: fruit length, width, weight, pericarp thickness and number of fruits per plant. Estimates were made in accordance with Griffing (1956) method 2, model 1. F, and F2 generations were investigated, applying variance analysis of combining ability for all the investigated characteristics. We found significant differences concerning the general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) in both generations. Regarding all the characteristics, the ratio GCA:SCA was much larger than 1 (one). In this way, the additive gene effect had a predominant role in inheriting yielding and its components. In both investigated generations the genotype L1 had the highest values of GCA for fruit width, pericarp thickness, fruit weight and yield per plant. The genotype L2 had the best combining ability for fruit length while L3 genotype was the best for the number of fruits per plant. The highest values of SCA for the investigated features were in crossing combinations L3 × L4 and L2 × L3