Abstract

The P1 P2 F2 F2 BC1 and BC2 generations of five pearl millet crosses were studied for seven metric traits. The additive dominance model was adequate for three crosses for number of tillers and earhcad length, and two crosses in each of leaf length and leaf breadth. An epistatic digenic model was assumed for other crosses. Heterosis breeding is suggested for improvement of all traits. Duplicate epistasis played a relatively greater role than complementary epistasis. Among the interactions, dominance X dominance played a major role. Therefore, reciprocal recurrent selection is suggested for development of a superior variety.

Keywords: Inheritance, Duplicate, Reciprocal recurrent selection