Combining ability analysis for different morphological traits in diallel crosses of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

A diallel analysis was carried out to study combining ability for different morphological traits in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Nine parental genotypes were involved in this study and these were crossed in half diallel mating design during kharif, 2016. The F 1 crosses along with their parents were sown during kharif, 2017 to study combining ability analysis for different morphological traits. For inheritance of traits both additive and non additive gene actions are important but in the present study there was pre ponderance of non additive gene action for all the characters studied. On the basis of GCA estimates parents H 1353 and H 1098i were the best general combiners for seed cotton yield/plant, whereas on the basis of SCA estimates best specific combiners for seed cotton yield/plant were H 1465 × H 1226, H 1300 × H 1226 and H 1490 × H 1464.