Evaluation of Experimental Hybrids Based on Genetic Male Sterility in Safflower

P.K.Naoghare and P.B.Ghorpade

Abstract

Twenty-six selected lines of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) were crossed with genetic male sterile line (AKSMS-1) to assess the possibilities of identifying promising experimental hybrids, to evaluate the general combining ability of parental lines and to assess the contribution of genetic divergence to the expression of heterosis. The magnitude of heterosis and useful heterosis was low and differed for different characters. The highest magnitude of useful heterosis was observed for number of seeds per capitulum (34.32%) followed by plant height (19.54%) and seed yield/ plant (16.99%). Only one cross, AKSMS-1 X AKS-96, recorded significant useful heterosis over the check variety, Bhima for seed yield per plant (16.99%). The estimates of general combining ability indicated that only one parent, i.e. AKS-96 recorded a high and significant general combining ability effect for seed yield per plant and for number of branches per plant. The heterosis manifested in crosses of parental lines considered to be the most genetically diverse lines was less than heterosis expressed between varieties considered to be the least genetically diverse.

Key words: Carthamus  tinctorius L., heterosis