Diallel analysis in Barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentaceae (Roxb.) Link) for quantitative and nutritional characters

With an objective to identify potential parents and crosses for quantitative and nutrient related characters and to understand the gene action for different traits for further improvement, an investigation was carried out in barnyard millet with diallel analysis involving five parents (CO 2, ACM 145, ACM 161, ACM 331 and ACM 332). Five parents and twenty crosses were evaluated for thirteen quantitative and four nutrient traits. The GCA, SCA and RCA variances were significant for almost all the characters suggesting the importance of both additive and non-additive gene action with pre-ponderance of non-additive gene action and significant reciprocal differences indicating the inter action between cytoplasm and the nuclear gene effects. However for single plant yield the gene action was additive as the ratio of GCA to SCA variances was more than one. In the evaluation of parents, taking per se performance and gca effects as criteria the parents in the order ACM 145, ACM 161 and CO 2 were identified as the best general combiners. The crosses ACM 145/CO 2 and ACM 145/ACM 161 were selected as superior over others based on per se performance, sca effects and heterosis percent together and are suggested for utilization in heterosis breeding. Non-significant sca effect was possessed by CO 2/ACM 145 and CO 2/ACM 161 and they could be used for improvement of grain yield by recombination breeding to isolate useful segregants