Combining ability assessment of popcorn considering yield and kernel popping quality

Abstract

A line × tester experiment was conducted at early generation of popcorn involving eight superior female lines and three testers for grain yield, its components as well as popping quality to determine the effect of  combining ability both General combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA). Highly significant genotypic differences were observed indicated wide range of variability present among the genotypes. The inbred parents Thai Pop / S_3-28 and Thai Pop / S_3-20 were identified as the best general combiners due to their good combining ability effect for grain yield and popping quality and also their ability to transmit characters to their progenies for most of the characters. The crosses with high SCA effect for grain yield evolved from high × low general combiner parents were reveled additive × dominance type of gene action. The good combination crosses were Thai Pop /S₃-1 × PCB /S₆-13, Thai Pop /S₃-17 × PCB /S₆-39 and Thai Pop /S₃-20 × PCB /S₆-39 could be used in future breeding program to develop high yielding popcorn hybrids with desirable poped kernel qualities. The information on the nature of gene action with respective variety and characters might be used depending on the breeding objectives.

Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 48(2): 209-220, June 2023