Combining ability studies in sponge gourd

The heterosis and combining ability studies with eight parental lines of sponge guard with diallel crosses (without reciprocals) were conducted for yield and its related traits. The variance of SCA were higher than GCA for all characters except days to first female flower, days to first picking, fruit length, indicating predominance of non-additive gene action for most of the characters under study. Three parents viz; Parent P8 (HASG-5), P7 (PSG-9), P5 (PSG-100) were found good general combiners for some of the fruit yield contributing characters, and are worth considering in further breeding programme. The crosses P1 x P2 (Phule prajkta x Pusa chikni), P4 x P5 (VR-1 x PSG-100), P4 x P8 (VR-1 x HASG-5), P5 x P6 (PSG-100 x PSG-110), P5 x P7(PSG-100 x PSG9) and P7 x P8 (PSG-9 x HASG-5) combinations can be tested for promotion of F1 hybrid in sponge gourd.