Heterosis for grain yield and it’s component traits in pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] using line x tester analysis

Four cytoplasmic male sterile lines were crossed with nine restorers to develop 36 hybrids using line x tester design to study extant of standard heterosis in pearl millet for fourteen different characters. The analysis of variance showed highly significant differences among the genotypes for all the traits. Thus, the results quantified the considerable amount of genetic diversity exist among genotypes for the different traits under study. The high magnitudes of standard heterosis was observed for grain yield per plant, length of protogyny, number of nodes on main stem, number of effective tillers per plant and threshing index. Out of 36 crosses studied, nine crosses showed significant standard heterosis in desired direction for grain yield per plant. The range of standard heterosis varied from -64.49% to 27.41%. The highest value of standard heterosis was recorded by cross JMSA5-20175 x J-2598 for grain yield per plant followed by ICMA1-15666 x 92-SB-18, ICMA1-15666 x J-2605 and JMSA4-20172 x J-2591. These crosses also exhibited high heterosis in desired direction for important component traits suggesting that the heterosis for grain yield was associated with heterosis for other yield attributing traits.