Early seedling vigour (ESV) plays a crucial role in rapid crop establishment and is widely recognized as an indirect indicator of drought tolerance and weed competitiveness, particularly under direct-seeded rice (DSR) systems. Aim of present study is to assess genetic variability for ESV traits and identify superior genotypes suitable for DSR. A total of 150 rice landraces and four checks were evaluated at 15 and 30 days after sowing two locations (Thanjavur and Paramakudi) under natural DSR conditions, for sixteen seedling vigour related traits. Substantial variability was observed across locations, and traits such as seedling dry weight, root length, number of leaves, relative growth rate and crop growth rate exhibited high broad-sense heritability coupled with high genetic advance. Seedling dry weight showed strong positive correlations with key ESV traits including leaf width, number of leaves, tiller number, leaf length and shoot length. Stepwise regression identified seedling dry weight, root length, and number of leaves as the most informative predictors for ESV-based selection. Genotype-by-trait analysis highlighted RL8841, RL6010, RL9452, RL9975, and RL10156 as consistently superior across environments. These findings offer valuable genetic resources and trait-based selection strategies for improving early establishment, drought resilience, and weed competitiveness in rice cultivated under DSR conditions.

Herbicides that inhibit 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) are widely used for broad-spectrum weed control; however, the sensitivity of many crop species limits their application, underscoring the need for the development of HPPD-tolerant crops. Although numerous herbicides are commercially available, HPPD inhibitors are particularly effective for controlling weeds resistant to glyphosate, glufosinate, dicamba, and other herbicides, as instances of evolved resistance to HPPD inhibitors remain low. Major genetic strategies for developing HPPD tolerance include the transgenic introduction of microbial HPPD enzymes with reduced herbicide sensitivity, mutagenesis-based approaches that have yielded novel HPPD alleles, and precise genome modification using CRISPR–Cas9 technology. In addition, protein engineering and directed evolution have been employed to generate HPPD variants with reduced inhibitor sensitivity. Future progress will depend on integrating advanced molecular tools with sustainable weed-management practices to ensure durable trait performance, minimize ecological and regulatory concerns, and reduce gene-flow risks associated with herbicide-tolerant crops.

Rapid population growth demands research on alternative, nutritionally rich food crops that can sustain food security, mitigate cultivation risks associated with climate change, and reduce dependence on mono- and few-crop systems. Several underutilized crops have been cultivated for centuries, but their use often remains country- or continent-specific, with limited scientific documentation and dissemination to regions facing major nutritional challenges. Moringa is one such promising crop; with rich nutrients, its plant parts, from root to pod, are edible or useful, and it also contributes to environmental cleansing. However, its wider utilization is constrained by anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) such as alkaloids, tannins, saponins, oxalates, glucosinolates (GSLs) and phytic acid, which reduce nutrient bioavailability and may cause adverse health effects. Various methods, including microbial fermentation, have proven effective at reducing these ANFs. For instance, lactic acid and solid-state fermentation can substantially reduce the enzymatic degradability of ANFs such as phytate, tannins, and GSLs while improving mineral bioavailability. In parallel, genetic and biotechnological approaches improving moringa offer substantial potential to alleviate malnutrition and enhance environmental and agronomic performance through better yield, quality, and stress resilience, along with ANF reduction. This review synthesizes current knowledge on moringa botany, crop diversity and summarizes genetic and biotechnological approaches, including omics resources, conventional breeding, microbial fermentation, and emerging genome-editing strategies, to improve yield and nutritional quality while reducing ANFs. By outlining the benefits of moringa, identifying major knowledge gaps, and highlighting future research priorities, this review aims to guide the strategic development and global deployment of moringa as a resilient, nutrient-dense crop for sustainable food and nutrition security.

Fodder maize plays an important role in livestock systems, but productivity is constrained by seasonal variability and unstable genotype performance. This study aimed to evaluate maize inbreds across seasons using an integrated selection framework to identify elite parental lines with high yield, adaptability and desirable forage quality for climate-resilient breeding. A total of 104 maize inbreds were evaluated across three seasons using an alpha-lattice design. Genotype performance and stability were assessed using Additive Main Effects and Multiplicative Interaction (AMMI)-based indices, Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP)-based indices, Genotype × Environment (G × E) interaction analysis and multi-trait selection indices. Based on these approaches, genotypes were classified into three models representing stability-based selection, integration of mean performance with stability and multi-trait selection. Significant G × E interactions were observed for all traits, indicating differential genotype responses across seasons. Model 2, integrating yield and stability, showed the highest genetic gain and effectively identified superior genotypes. Genotypes G85, G86 and G88 were consistently identified as high-yielding and stable across three models, while G12 and G27 were selected by at least two models. These genotypes also exhibited desirable forage quality, including moderate fibre fractions and higher crude protein. The integrated multi-model framework effectively identified elite maize inbreds combining high yield, stability and nutritional quality, providing valuable parental lines for developing climate-resilient fodder maize hybrids.

The present study focused on estimating variability attributes, heritability, genetic advance, trait relationship and path coefficient analysis for ten traits in an F2 individuals resulting from the cross between CO 52 and FR13A. Notably high values for genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation (GCV and PCV), along with high heritability and substantial genetic advance as a percentage of the mean, were observed for traits such as single plant yield, number of filled grains and number of productive tillers. These results suggest the influence of additive gene action and implied that simple selection methods would be effective for improving these attributes. Traits including the number of tillers, productive tillers, filled grains and spikelet fertility showed significant positive correlations and a significant absolute effect on single plant yield, indicating their potential value in enhancing yield. From the total of 190 F2 plants, 57 individuals carrying the favorable SUB1 QTL allele were identified for further submergence tolerance screening. The findings from this research offered valuable insights for selecting promising traits and can contribute to future rice breeding efforts aimed at improving yield.

Pelleted feeds ensure balanced nutrition, improved digestibility, long-term preservation and enhanced palatability, making themvital for livestock during lean seasons. With the growing demand for optimized feed formulations, evaluating complex nutritional data has become crucial. However, ranking feed combinations using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods remains a significant challenge. This study, conducted at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, during 2024-2025, assessed 27 fodder pellet combinations using a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework that integrated the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Pellets comprised Bajra Napier hybrid, Guinea grass, Fodder maize and legumes such as Lucerne, Desmanthus and Agathi, combined with crop residues from rice, maize and groundnut. Nutritional parameters, including crude protein, fibre fractions (ADF, NDF, ADL, cellulose and hemicellulose), crude fat, total ash, palatability and in vitro dry matter digestibility, were studied. AHP assigned weights to each parameter, while TOPSIS ranked combinations by closeness to the ideal solution. The Bajra Napier Hybrid + Agathi + Groundnut haulms combination had the highest TOPSIS score (0.8808), indicating superior nutritional performance. This study validates AHP-TOPSIS as a reliable tool for optimizing fodder pellet formulations. Correlation studies showed a negative relationship among various pellet formulations. Guinea grass + Desmanthus + Maize stover exhibited the highest crude fibre content (32 %) with moderate digestibility (66 %), indicating greater fibre accumulation. Conversely, Fodder Maize + Agathi + Groundnut haulms had a lower crude fibre content (28%) but achieved a digestibility of 64%, making it a favourable choice for improved nutrient bioavailability. The findings from this study can guide feed industries and farmers in selecting nutritionally balanced, cost-effective pellet combinations that contribute to local fodder availability and support sustainable livestock nutrition strategies.

Temperature-sensitive genic male sterility (TGMS) is crucial for boosting rice productivity and ensuring food security. In this study, we evaluated the morphological traits and genetic diversity of 57 rice TGMS lines under fertility-inducing (Gudalur) and sterility-inducing (Coimbatore) environments. Significant variations were observed in yield and floral characteristics, with flowering times ranging from 62.3 to 152.0 days. Lines such as TNAU 16S and TNAU 93S exhibited shorter plant heights and durations, along with higher numbers of productive tillers, making them promising candidates for hybrid breeding. Molecular profiling revealed that the tms8 gene was the most prevalent across the lines, with some carrying combinations of two or more TGMS genes. TNAU 38S and TNAU 60S possessed all four TGMS genes, ensuring stable sterility. These lines showed low fertility temperatures at Gudalur and low sterility temperatures at Coimbatore, indicating optimal conditions for hybrid seed production. Floral characteristics in lines like TNAU 19S, TNAU 126S-1 and TNAU 126S-2 were favorable, with total sterility under sterility-inducing conditions and increased fertility under fertility-inducing conditions, making them ideal for hybridization. For short-duration, semi-dwarf hybrids, TNAU 93S and TNAU 16S were identified as suitable female parents. Overall, this study highlights the significance of TGMS gene combinations for stable male sterility expression and identifies lines such as TNAU 37S, TNAU 60S and TNAU 85S as optimal for high-yielding two-line rice hybrids. The findings emphasize the potential for developing diverse, stable hybrids that can contribute to improved rice productivity and global food security.

Sheath blight disease is accountable for substantial loss in rice production worldwide. Endophytic bacteria are exploited as biocontrol agents due to their effectiveness in antagonizing a wide range of phytopathogens through a multifaceted approach. In the present study, the potentiality of deploying endophytic bacteria for the sustainable management of rice sheath blight was investigated. Over 40 bacterial endophytes were obtained and screened for their antagonistic activity against Rhizoctonia solani by a dual-culture assay. Among them, B. velezensis B13 exhibited higher mycelial inhibition (77.33%) against R. solani. A scanning electron microscopic study of the interaction of R. solani with B13 revealed distorted and deformed mycelia of R. solani. An analysis of secondary metabolites produced by B. velezensis B13 at their zone of interaction with R. solani confirmed the presence of various bioactive compounds of an antifungal and antimicrobial nature. A molecular docking study revealed that the compound 3′,8,8′-Trimethoxy-3-piperidyl-2,2′-binaphthalene-1,1′,4,4′-tetrone exhibited the highest binding affinity for Actin like protein (−7.6 kcal/mol), β-1,3 glucan synthase (−7.7 kcal/mol), Pectinesterase (−4.2 kcal/mol) and Polygalacturonase (−6.5 kcal/mol) protein targets of R. solani compared to the commercial fungicide carbendazim. In vivo experiments also proved the efficacy of B. velezensis B13 in suppressing rice sheath blight disease reduction upto 16.8± 0.2 besides enhancing the growth of the plant. Furthermore, B. velezensis B13 upregulated the expression of rice transcription factors and defense genes, viz., WRKY, PR1, PAL, LOX, FLS2 and CERK1, by several folds related to the inoculated and healthy control, leading to the suppression of R. solani. Our results suggest that B. velezensis (B13) could be a potential candidate for developing a bioconsortia for the sustainable management of rice sheath blight.

Estimating combining ability is essential for evaluating genotypes and understanding the nature and magnitude of gene actions involved in plant breeding. In a study involving four lines and seven testers, a Line × Tester mating design was employed to analyze combining ability, heterosis, and gene action across 16 yield-related traits. The results indicated significant variances for general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA), underscoring the relevance of additive and non-additive genetic components in trait inheritance. The analysis revealed that the ratio of dominant genetic variance to additive genetic variance was greater than one for most traits, with the exceptions being test weight and the grain length:breadth ratio. This suggests that non-additive gene action predominantly influences the inheritance of the examined traits. Among the parental lines studied, CO 54, CO 55, RL 8601, RL 6298, and RL 27 emerged as the best general combiners for single-plant yield and other traits. Based on the outcomes of standard heterosis, the following hybrid combinations were identified as optimal for augmenting single-plant yield: ADT 58 × RL 2348 (105.33%), CO 55 × RL 6298 (104.5%), CO 54 × RL 6298 (103.87%), CO 54 × RL 8601 (100.76%), ADT 58 × RL 2196 (99.8%), and ADT 56 × RL 6298 (97.65%). These results indicate that the identified cross combinations could be effectively employed in recombination breeding programs focused on producing early-maturing, high-yielding fine-grain rice varieties that align with market requirements.

Climate change poses a serious threat to future food security on a global scale. Drought is the most challenging abiotic stress, limiting rice production in rainfed rice ecosystems. Therefore, an experiment was designed under three distinct environments, non-stress irrigated condition, managed stress condition (Rainout shelter) and natural stress condition (Target Population of Environment) involving 500 Indian rice germplasms. The study aimed to assess the genetic differences, drought tolerance behavior and to identify potential drought-tolerant donors for climate-resilient drought breeding. The results revealed that yield-attributing and physiological traits were affected by drought stress, resulting in a grain yield reduction of 64.30% in managed stress condition and 68.12% in natural stress condition. A high heritability estimate for most of the traits under non-stress and stress conditions indicates that selection for grain yield under stress conditions can be done with the same precision as in non-stress condition. Mixed linear model revealed a considerable genetic variation for yield and yield-attributing traits. The correlation between the environments was found positive for the traits studied. Multi-environment trait association revealed that panicle weight, spikelet fertility and number of productive tillers per plant are the key pre-breeding traits for grain yield improvement under drought. Multi-environment analysis identified 47 accessions with yield superiority over the drought-tolerant checks. Multi-trait selection index reaffirmed that RL 4167, RL 6361 and RL 4131 are drought tolerant and high yielding under multi-environment analysis. Therefore, the promising high yielding accessions viz., RL 4167, RL 6361, RL 4131, RL 27 and RL 6298, thus identified, could serve as potential donors for grain yield improvement under drought stress.

Rice (Oryza sativa) is a vital staple crop that nourishes billions globally. However, its ability to sustain food security is jeopardized by pests and diseases, particularly the rice root-knot nematode (RKN), Meloidogyne graminicola, which threatens productivity. This study explores the defense responses of the traditional rice cultivar Mappillai Samba against this nematode. Using molecular, biochemical, histological, metabolomic profiling, gene expression and molecular docking approaches, we have unraveled the defense mechanisms employed by Mappillai Samba to fend off M. graminicola. The indigenous variety Mappillai Samba exhibited resistance, evident through a low Gall Index (2), fewer adult females (6.6), egg masses per gram of root (3.6) and eggs per egg mass (13.4), with a Multiplication Factor (MF) of 1.02. In contrast, CBMAS 14065 was highly susceptible, displaying 52.8 adult females and a Gall Index of 3. Our findings highlight the activation of specific defense-related genes (OsPAL1, OsPAD4, OsCAD6, OsWRKY13 and OsNPR1) and the accumulation of secondary metabolites such as phenolics, alkaloids and terpenoids, which are crucial for the plant's resistance. Microscopic analysis revealed changes in root morphology and Mappillai samba showed reduced giant cell formation despite nematode penetration into the root system. This comprehensive analysis highlights lignification and defense gene activation as core resistance strategies in Mappillai Samba. These insights into rice-nematode interactions emphasize the potential of Mappillai Samba as a valuable genetic resource for breeding nematode-resistant rice varieties, thereby contributing to sustainable rice production and food security.

Weed infestation poses a significant challenge to the adoption of direct-seeded rice (DSR), leading to substantial yield losses. This study involved introgression of imazethapyr herbicide tolerance into ADT 55 rice variety using the ethyl methane sulfonate-induced mutant Robin HTM as a donor. Phenotypic evaluation with imazethapyr herbicide spray demonstrated the transfer of herbicide tolerance locus into the ADT 55 background. Additionally, the research focuses on assessing the inheritance of key agronomic traits in F2 and F3 generations following initial crosses and marker-assisted selection. The findings revealed positive intergenerational correlations and significant regression coefficients for traits such as plant height and the number of productive tillers, indicating stable inheritance of these traits. Moderate to low heritability values suggest the possible influence of non-additive gene action or environmental variance, reducing the effectiveness of early-generation selection for certain traits. The development of herbicide-tolerant rice varieties offers a promising strategy for effective weed management in DSR, reducing reliance on manual weeding and minimizing yield losses. This approach contributes to more sustainable and efficient rice production systems.

Rice, a staple food for significant percent of the world’s population, is increasingly vulnerable to drought stress, threatening global food security. This review synthesizes current knowledge on drought’s physiological impact on rice, highlighting key mechanisms, responses, and adaptations. Drought stress alters rice physiology at various stages, from seed germination to grain filling, affecting yield, quality, and nutrient content. Drought tolerance in rice is influenced by physiological traits such as root architecture and depth, stomatal regulation and water use efficiency, Osmo-protectants and antioxidant defences, hormone signalling and stress response pathways. Genetic diversity and molecular breeding have enhanced drought resilience in rice, with key genes and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling drought tolerance identified, enabling marker-assisted selection and genetic engineering. Despite progress, challenges persist, including limited understanding of drought’s impact on rice physiology under field conditions, inefficient screening methods for drought tolerance, and insufficient attention to drought’s effects on rice quality and nutritional content. To address these gaps, integrating physiology, genetics, and agronomy for holistic drought mitigation strategies is crucial. Developing high-throughput phenotyping tools for drought tolerance screening and investigating drought’s impact on rice grain quality and nutritional content are essential. This review provides a comprehensive framework for understanding drought’s physiological footprint in rice and guiding future research toward improving drought tolerance and resilience.

Genetic advancements in fodder maize aim to address the increasing demand for sustainable livestock nutrition. It emphasizes the significance of selecting genetic combinations with high-yielding and nutritionally superior green fodder. GWAS and QTL studies have played a crucial role in unravelling complex traits in fodder maize, enabling the discovery of superior genotypes that promise high biomass yield and improved forage quality. This review examines various factors that influence the yield-related traits, quality traits, and overall nutritional value of maize fodder, thus influencing its effectiveness as an energy and protein source for livestock. Further, the prospects in fodder maize improvement highlight advancements in genomic selection methods, trait-specific breeding programs, optimized nutrient management strategies, and the study of novel genetic regions. These advancements are crucial for improving maize fodder quality to fulfil the evolving demands for sustainable livestock nutrition, ultimately supporting animal growth, reproduction, and milk production.

Thermo-sensitive genic male sterile (TGMS) lines in rice are crucial for hybrid breeding, enhancing genetic diversity by eliminating the need for manual emasculation and restorer genes. These lines induce sterility at high temperatures and restore fertility at low temperatures, in contrast to cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) systems that require specific restorative genes. This temperature-sensitive mechanism allows for greater flexibility in pairing parent lines, increasing genetic diversity and enabling recombination of beneficial traits in hybrids. A randomized block design (RBD) with three replications was employed for the evaluation of these TGMS rice lines. This study investigates the molecular diversity and genetic variability among TGMS rice lines. Traits such as single plant yield, grains per panicle, glume angle, and pollen fertility showed significant phenotypic and genotypic variation, indicated by high coefficients of variation (PCV and GCV), heritability estimates, and genetic advance as a percentage of mean (GAM). These results highlight substantial genetic variation and selection potential. Euclidean distance matrix analysis of morphological data revealed notable genetic differences. TNAU 137S 1 and TNAU 137S 2 were the most genetically similar, while TNAU 112S and TNAU 114S showed the greatest divergence. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed distinct genetic profiles among lines such as TNAU 136S, TNAU 113S, TNAU 142S, and TNAU 126S, important for hybrid development. Molecular diversity analysis using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers identified 90 alleles and eight genetic clusters. Bayesian analysis further confirmed two major subpopulations with significant genetic divergence. These findings support the selective use of parent lines for hybrid rice breeding.

Rice typically has poor germination under submerged conditions, but some landraces can germinate underwater, which provides valuable resources for investigating the genetic and physiological mechanisms behind these characteristics. This study evaluated 500 rice genotypes, including tolerant and susceptible genotypes for anaerobic germination tolerance. Only 100 genotypes germinated under anaerobic conditions, showing significant variation in germination percentage (30–85

Analyzing genetic variability and trait correlations is essential for designing effective breeding programs and improving crop characteristics. This study aimed to estimate variability parameters, heritability, genetic advance, skewness, kurtosis, associations, and path coefficients for 13 traits in the F? population derived from the crosses CO 54 × IC 378202 and CO 54 × IC 467496. The cross CO 54 × IC 378202 cross exhibited notable panicle weight with high Genotypic Coefficients of Variation (GCV) (35.94) and Phenotypic Coeffi cients of Variation (PCV) (36.40), elevated Heritability (H2) (97.48), significant Genetic Advance as a Percentage of Mean (GAM) (73.10), and positive skew ness (0.52). Similarly, the CO 54 × IC 467496 cross demonstrated exceptional total tillers per plant, characterized by high Genotypic Coefficients of Varia tion (33.63) and Phenotypic Coefficients of Variation (35.25), substantial Heritability (90.99), notable Genetic Advance as a Percentage of Mean (66.08), and pronounced positive skewness (0.67). In the CO 54 × IC 378202 cross, panicle weight, displayed significant positive correlations (0.641) and direct positive effects (0.2370) on grain yield per plant. Similarly, the CO 54 × IC 467496 cross grains per panicle exhibited strong positive correlations (0.383) and direct effects (0.5360) on grain yield. These findings underscore the significance of panicle weight and grain number per panicle, key deter minants of grain yield, as prime targets for selection in rice breeding pro grams. The observed predominance of additive gene action for these traits suggests their amenability to improvement through pure line selection. By prioritizing these traits, breeders can develop high-yielding rice cultivars, thereby enhancing agricultural productivity and contributing to global food security endeavors.

With climate change, plants face numerous stresses, notably drought for rice cultivation. Improving rice drought tolerance is vital for sustainable production in water-scarce regions. Identification of drought tolerant genotypes at the seedling stage of the crop contributes to build a climate resilient genotype during the period of water scarcity and under challenging environmental conditions. Hence, polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG-6000) induced drought conditions could be used for testing the drought tolerance in rice at an earlier stage of the crop. Optimization of PEG-6000 concentration for screening index at-6 bar was done using three drought-tolerant and two drought-susceptible check varieties based on probit analysis. Subsequently, 100 rice landraces underwent PEG-6000 induced drought screening at -6 bar and a total of 32 genotypes were selected as tolerant. After 14 days of treatment, the nine observations viz. germination %, root length (cm), shoot length (cm), number of secondary roots, fresh weight (g), dry weight (g), shoot/root ratio, root/shoot ratio and vigour index were recorded. Variance analysis, revealing significant genetic variation among genotypes for all studied traits, indicating genetic variability. Post hoc analysis confirmed notable variation among treatments. Principal component analysis revealed three components, with the first three accounting for 88.89% of total variability. With respect to the biplot, the ten genotypes viz., IRGC109, IRGC403, IRGC448, IRGC461, IRGC466, IRGC486, IRGC508, IRGC518, IRGC527 and IRGC535 are the seedling stage drought tolerant genotypes based on shoot length, number of secondary roots and vigour index. Population structure classified the accessions into two subpopulations, reflecting diversity. The allele frequency divergence is 0.095 which is a measure of fixation index revealing that the moderate divergence is not extremely pronounced. Genetic diversity, assessed through 26 SSR markers selected from drought tolerant QTLs and markers related to vigour index, exhibited 100% polymorphism with 115 alleles and an average PIC value of 0.61 per primer. Shannon index varied between 0.34 (RM212) and 1.96 (RM252), averaging 1.18. Six SSR markers viz., RM246, RM302, RM252, RM219, RM251, and RM486 were associated with the six key traits viz., shoot length, root length, number of secondary roots, dry weight, shoot/root ratio, and root/shoot ratio respectively offering valuable resources for selecting drought-tolerant accessions as it provides the first step in the selection of genotypes based on the key traits.

Target traits in hybrid breeding programs are crucial as they are highly responsive to gene action and combining ability. The line × tester method aids in understanding the genetic interactions influencing these traits, enabling the development of superior hybrids by selecting parent combinations that optimize heterosis or hybrid vigor. The study involved 23 forage cowpea genotypes and 3 testers, resulting in 69 F1 hybrids produced at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. The experiment was conducted over two cropping seasons (2023–2024) at the New Area Farm Experimental Station. A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications was employed. The line × tester interaction was highly significant for all traits, indicating the impact of additive and non-additive gene expression variations. Notably, specific genotypes displayed significant General Combining Ability (GCA) effects: GETC 21 for Crude Protein (CPR), GETC 49 for Number of Leaves (NOL) and CPR, and CL 348 for Dry Matter Yield (DMY) and Crude Fiber (CFR). Additionally, hybrids demonstrated substantial Specific Combining Ability (SCA) effects, particularly CS 98 × CO 9 and CL 321-1 × CO(FC) 8 for DMY, and GETC 49 × CO(FC) 8 and GETC 49 × CO 9 for days to fifty percent flowering (DFF). Mid-parent heterosis was evident, with IFC 9402 × CO(FC) 8 showing the highest heterosis for plant height and FD 1052 × TNFC0926 for CPR. These results underscore the importance of selecting lines and testers with high GCA and hybrids with high SCA to enhance Green Forage Yield (GFY), DMY, CPR, CFR, and NOL in forage cowpea. This approach promises the development of new, high-yielding, and nutritionally superior cowpea varieties.

Understanding the extent of genetic variability within the segregating generations is crucial for identifying superior segregants with high yield and better market acceptability. Thus, the present study was carried out to quantify the extent of genetic variation available in the segregating population of rice. Three crosses, viz., CO 55 × IC 457996, CO 55 × IC 464685, and CO 55 × IC 115439 were evaluated using a non-randomized experimental design for six yield attributing and two physical grain quality traits in F2 generation. The inheritance pattern of basal leaf sheath colour and grain colour in CO 55 × IC 115439 indicate digenic complementary gene interaction (9:7), whereas grain colour in CO 55 × IC 464685 exhibits inhibitory gene action (13:3). The positively skewed nature of productive tillers per plant and single-plant yield in the F2 segregants emphasizes the need for intensive selection to facilitate rapid improvement due to the influence of complementary gene action. Moderate to high GCV with high heritability and GAM for traits such as plant height, productive tillers per plant, hundred seed weight, grain width, and single-plant yield in the F2 segregants underscore the prevalence of additive gene action and thus provide the most effective condition for simple phenotypic selection. Moreover, productive tillers per plant and single-plant yield showed a strong positive association in all the crosses. Therefore, productive tillers per plant can be considered an indicator trait when selecting high-yielding segregants for grain yield improvement.