Heterosis study in Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] genotypes for pod yield attributes

A study was conducted at Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agriculture Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi during Spring-Summer and Rainy season of 2012 and 2013 using 12 diverse parental lines of okra and their 66 F1 hybrids (through diallel cross-excluding reciprocals) with the objective to measure the extent of heterosis over better parent and standard commercial check varieties for the purpose of judging the extent up to which heterosis can be exploited in commercial okra breeding. The extent of heterosis for five best crosses over better parent and check (48.32 % to 82.42 % and 7.13 % to 35.66 %, respectively) for yield per hectare suggested the great scope of realizing higher yield in okra through heterosis breeding. Other economic traits also recorded moderate to high level of heterosis over the better parents. The cross combination IC -282280×EC – 329380showed high heterosis over better parent and standard check for pod yield (82.42 % and 35.66 %), number of pods per plant (62.82 % and 48.54 %) and respectively. This particular cross combination eventually resulted the height magnitude of heterobeltiosis and standard heterosis for the most of the desirable growth parameters as well as yield attributing characters which may be taken for further breeding programme.