Comparative performance of elite inbred lines with alien cytosterile sources and their corresponding hybrids in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

The effect of cytoplasm on the mean performance of inbreds and their corresponding hybrids for seed yield and its contributing traits was investigated in the present study. There was no significant difference found between the inbreds based on cytosterile sources E002 (H.  annus), ARG 3 (H. argophyllus) and PET 1 (H. petiolaris) for oil content, oil yield and seed yield indicating that under DS 2 nuclear genetic background all the three alloplasmic lines were on par for these traits. Similarly, for the performance of hybrids, both the cytosterile sources E002 and ARG 3 were equally efficient in the expression of traits viz., stem diameter, 100 seed weight, volume weight, hull content and seed yield but showed significant variations for days to 50% flowering, plant height, head diameter, days to maturity, seed filling percentage, oil content and oil yield. However, for per se performance for traits showing significant variation, E002 cytoplasm based hybrids were superior over ARG 3 cytoplasm based hybrids. Even for mid parent heterosis and heterobeltiosis both cytosterile sources influenced traits under consideration with the positive influence of E002 cytoplasm on MPH and BPH for all the traits except plant height and head diameter.