Heterosis among line-tester crosses for grain yield and quality components in rice

Abstract

Heterosis over better parent was estimated for yield, its components and quality related traits in 36 rice hybrids produced in line x tester analysis. The crosses manifesting significant and positive heterosis for grain yield in the range of 21.33% to 47.43% were Mahamaya/Basmati 370, Abhaya/Dubraj, R 302- 111/Basmati 370, Abhava/Basmati 370, RP 2151-33-2/ Pusa Basmati-1, RP2151-33-2/Dubraj, IET 14887/ Basmati 370, Mahamaya/ Dubraj and R 302-111/Taroari Basniati. Parents Basmati 370 and Dubraj were most frequently involved in high yielding hybrids. Of these crosses Abhaya/Dubraj, RP 2151-33-2/Dubraj and R 302-111/Taroari Basmati also seemed to be promising for elongation ratio and Mahamaya/Basmati 370 for head rice recovery percentage in addition to grain yield. Significant yield increase in high heterotic hybrids was largely attributed to yield components like harvest index, biological yield plant 1 spikelet density, fertile spikelets panicle 1 and tillers plant ' All these yield components and quality traits like milling %, head rice recovery %, hundred grain weight, kernel length and breadth could be used as selection criteria for simultaneous improvement of yield and quality in rice.