Assessment of combining ability effects using quality protein maize donors as testers for yield and yield traits in maize

The present study was accomplished to assess the general combining ability effects of parents and specific combining ability effects of hybrids for yield and yield related traits in maize. Sixty three F1 hybrids were developed and by crossing nine productive maize inbred lines with seven quality protein maize inbred testers in Line x Tester mating design and evaluated for twelve yield and yield related characters at CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Karnal, Haryana.  The combining ability analysis revealed the presence of higher magnitude of SCA than GCA variance for all characters under study except for number of grains per cob. The preponderance ratio of sca/gca variance revealed presence of non additive gene action in the expression of all the characters under study. Among the sixteen parents inbred lines viz., HKI 1040-4, HKI 323, HKI 161 and HKI 163 were found to be the best parent for grain yield and among the hybrids, HKI 1128 x HKI 163, HKI 659-3 x HKI 194-6, HKI 1126 x HKI 161, HKI 536YN x HKI 193-1 and HKI 488 x HKI 170(1+2) exhibited highest significant and favourable sca effects for yield and yield attributing characters.