Combining Ability for Yield and its Components in Pearl Millet

Line X tester analysis involving 30 male parents, crossed to 5 male sterile lines of pearl millet grown at two locations, was carried out. The result of this study suggested that, both general and specific combining ability are important in the expression of yield and its components. However, the magnitude of non-additive component was higher than that of the additive component for all the characters studied. It is suggested that a breeding methodology that can exploit both additive and non-additive genetic effects would be the most effective in attaining maximum improvement in yield and its component characters in pearl millet.