Heterosis and combining ability studies for quantitative and qualitative traits in bell pepper

Heterosis and the combining ability effects were estimated in five lines and three testers and their 15 F1S in a line x tester mating design for 11 characters in bell pepper. The analysis of variance for combining ability indicated that mean sum of square due to line x tester interaction was highly significant for all the characters. The sca variances were higher than gca variances indicating predominance of dominance variance for all the characters. Further the value of σ2 gca/σ 2 sca for all the characters support the predominance of non additive gene effects in governing the expression of all these characters Parents 11/capvar1, 11/capvar2 were found good general combiners for most of the characters. The range of heterosis observed in number of crosses exhibiting significantly negative and positive heterosis over better parent, and standard check. On the basis of sca effects and heterobeltiosis and standard heterosis cross combinations 11/capvar8 x 11/capvar6, 11/capvar1 x 11/capvar6, 11/capvar2 x 11/capvar4 and 11/capvar5 x 11/capvar4 were found superior. These cross combinations can be exploited in breeding program in capsicum.