Abstract

The present study on heterosis and combining ability for fruit yield and its components was carried out in a set of 27 F 1 hybrids of cucumber obtained from a Line x Tester method involving twelve diverse parents at Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari 2009. The ratio of the genetic variance was less than unity, which indicated the predominance of the non- additive gene action in all the traits. The analysis revealed that none of the parents was found good general combiners for all the traits consistently, however parents CCP-9, Gujarat local and SPP-44 were good combiner for fruit yield and its contributing traits. The hybrids Pilibhit Local x K-90 followed by Sheetal x SPP-44 and Sheetal x CC-9 have exhibited higher heterobeltiosis for fruit yield and its components characters. These crosses involved poor x poor and poor x good combiner parents. Further improvement in fruit yield could be possible through the hybridization and selection in transgressive segregants.

Keywords: Heterosis, combining ability, gene action, Cucumis sativus L., line x tester