Heterosis for yield components and fibre characters in naturally coloured cotton.

Tweenty one naturally brown colour linted cotton (G. hirsutum L.) hybrids derived through 7 x 7 diallel fashion excluding reciprocals alongwith their seven parents were evaluated to estimate the magnitudes of heterosis over mid parent and better parent. The magnitudes of heterosis in desirable direction was highest for seed cotton yield/plant followed by number of bolls, number of sympodia/plant, plant height and boll weight. Based on considerable beneficial heterotic response the hybrids viz., AKHC-39 x AKHC-4 and AKHC-46 x AKHC-7 could be considered for exploitation of hybrid vigour.