Assessment of heterosis and combining ability for yield and fibre quality traits in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) using line x tester analysis

Introduction

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) stands out as the most crucial natural fibre crop on a global scale, maintaining its status as a sustainable and primary raw material for the textile industry. It provides valuable products such as cotton lint for export, cottonseed oil for the edible oil industry, and cottonseed cake used in livestock feed. Given its widespread cultivation and economic value, cotton contributes significantly to the nation's economy, supporting various sectors including manufacturing, trade, employment, and foreign exchange. Owing to its extensive utility and economic importance, it is often referred to as "White Gold". The primary focus of cotton breeding is to produce hybrids and varieties that offer both high productivity and desirable fibre traits. The existing genetic diversity within cotton germplasm provides valuable potential for developing improved genotypes with enhanced yield and fibre quality. Cotton crop is highly suitable for exploiting hybrid vigour through heterosis breeding. In recent times, increased emphasis has been placed on intraspecific hybridization, which involves crossing different lines within the same species to enhance desirable traits. Such breeding efforts have demonstrated the effective transfer of useful genes from both cultivated and wild cotton species into commercial varieties.

Materials and Methods

The study was conducted at the experimental field of Cotton Research Unit, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola. Five female parents (lines) were crossed with eight testers in line x tester design during kharif 2023. Forty F1 hybrids along with thirteen parents and two standard checks were evaluated in randomised block design with three replications during kharif 2024. All the agronomical practices were carried out according the recommendations. The field observations on 5 plants from each genotype and replication were recorded for seed cotton yield per plant (g) and fibre quality traits i.e. upper half mean length (mm), fibre strength (g/tex), fibre fineness (µg/ inch) uniformity ratio. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed according to the methods outlined by Panse and Sukhatme (1967) [10] . Analysis of standard heterosis will be carried out as per standard method given by Meredith and Bridge (1972) [9] . ANOVA for combining ability was based on the methodology given by Kempthorne (1957) [5] .

Results and Discussion:

In the current investigation, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed statistically significant differences among genotypes for all traits evaluated, indicating the presence of substantial genetic variability among the genotypes for each character studied. Among the 40 crosses, the standard heterosis for seed cotton yield per plant over check NH-545 ranged from 7.29 to 174.56 percent. The AKH-081 X Suraj (174.56%) showed highest positive significant heterosis followed by Phule-688 Surabhi (154.39%) and AKH-081 X MCU-5VT (150.79%). Standard heterosis over NHH-715 ranged from-25.57 to 120.42 percent. The AKH-081 X Suraj (120.42%) showed highest positive significant heterosis followed by Phule-688 X Surabhi (104.23%) and AKH-081 X MCU-5VT (101.34%). For upper half mean length, standard heterosis over NH-545 ranged from-7.87 to 12.87 percent. Highest positive and significant standard heterosis was showed by AKH-09-5 X Suraksha (12.87%) followed by AKH-09-5 X Surabhi (11.80%) and NH-615 X Surabhi (10.49%). In respect of NHH-715, the standard heterosis ranged from-11.25 to 8.73 percent. The cross AKH-09-5 X Suraksha (8.73%) showed highest positive and significant standard heterosis followed by AKH-09-5 X Surabhi (7.69%) and NH-615 X Surabhi (6.43%). [14] , Tuteja et al. (2006) [20] , Isong et al.

(2019) or seed cotton yield per plant, Tuteja (2014) [19] , Pavitra et al. (2019) [12] and Bano et al. (2023) [2] for upper half mean length, fibre strength, fibre fineness and uniformity ratio.

For seed cotton yield per plant, among the female parents, only AKH-081 (12.162) was found to be the best general combiner for this character, whereas, RHC-1651 (-5.176) exhibited significant negative gca effect. Among the male parents, Suchitra (8.350) and Surabhi (5.116) depicted the highest positive and significant gca effects and found to be best general combiner among the males.

The female parent, AKH-09-5 showed maximum positive significant gca effect for upper half mean length (1.215), fibre strength (1.158) and maximum positive gca effect for uniformity ratio (0.417) whereas NH-615 (-0.215) exhibited significant and negative gca effects which is desirable for fibre fineness. Among male parents, Surabhi (0.987) showed maximum significant positive gca effect and was good general combiner for upper half mean length. The tester Sunata showed highest gca effect for fibre strength (0.818) and uniformity ratio (0.525) and found as best general combiner whereas Nano (-0.265) exhibited significant and negative gca effects which is desirable for fibre fineness. Among the crosses, Phule-688 X Surabhi (25.724) showed highest significant positive sca effect for seed cotton yield per plant. The crosses RHC-1651 X Suraj (2.057) and AKH-081 X Sunata (2.762) showed highest significant positive sca effects for upper half mean length and fibre strength respectively. None of the cross exhibited highest significant positive sca effects for uniformity ratio. Cross RHC-1651 X Suchitra (-0.861) exhibited highest significant negative sca effect for fibre fineness. Similar type of result reported by Sakhare et al. (2005) [16] , Khosla et al. (2007) [7] , Preetha and Raveendran (2008) [13] , Saravanan et al. (2010) [17] , Patel et al. (2012) [11] , Jaiwar et al. (2012) [4] , Sawarkar et al. (2015) [18] , Usharani et al.

(2016) [21] and Khokhar et al. (2018) [6] , Mangi et al. (2024) [8] , Riaz et al. (2023) [5] and Bagyalakshmi et al. (2023) [1] for evaluated traits.

Conclusion

The present investigation revealed significant genetic variability among the genotypes for all traits studied, as confirmed by ANOVA. This genetic diversity provides a strong foundation for breeding programs aimed at improving cotton yield and fibre quality. Several hybrids exhibited notable standard heterosis for seed cotton yield, with AKH-081 X Suraj, Phule-688 X Surabhi, and AKH-081 X MCU-5VT emerging as particularly promising crosses. These combinations consistently outperformed the standard checks, indicating their potential for commercial cultivation.

In terms of fibre traits, AKH-09-5 X Suraksha showed superior performance in upper half mean length, fibre strength, and uniformity ratio, while RHC-1651 X Suchitra recorded the most desirable negative heterosis for fibre fineness. The combining ability analysis identified AKH-081, AKH-09-5, and Suchitra as strong general combiners for yield and quality attributes. Additionally, crosses such as Phule-688 × Surabhi and AKH-081 X Sunata exhibited significant specific combining ability, suggesting their suitability for hybrid development.

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement I am grateful to the Head of Department of Agricultural Botany, and Senior Research Scientist, Cotton Research Unit, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola for providing all the necessary facilities for conducting the research work.

References

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