Heritability, genetic advance and heterosis in line x tester crosses of basmati rice

The heritability, genetic advance and heterosis study was conducted on 27 F1 hybrids along with their 12 Basmati rice (Oryza sativa) parents to know the pattern of inheritance. Some morpho- physiological traits for selecting superior genotypes. The experiment was laid out according to line x tester mating design at Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad during 2004-05. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among treatments, parents, and parents vs. crosses and crosses for flag leaf area, plant height, panicle density, harvest index biological yield per plant and yield per plant. Estimates of broad sense heritability and expected genetic advance in response to selection in next generation were high for all the traits. Heterosis and heterobeltiosis ranged 21.09 to 60.13 percent and -33.34 to 42.99 percent, respectively for flag leaf area, -3.94 to 12.28 percent and 3.25 to 32.21 percent for plant height, 17.88 to 53.10 percent and -25.90 to 23.97 percent for panicle density, -8.80 to 32.43 percent and -24.32 to 19.29 percent for harvest index, 7.54 to 58.77 percent and 12.88 to 104.37 percent for biological yield per plant and 12.50 to 95.33 percent and -6.97 to 66.38 percent for yield per plant. The results indicate that improvement in grain yield can be efficient through making some compromises within limits among morpho-physiological yield related traits. Based on higher mean performance and desirable heterosis and heterobeltiosis, three intermediate and six tall hybrids are recommended for exploitation of heterosis breeding. However, desirable transgressive segregants may also be selected in succeeding generations from the progenies of these crosses to develop potential varieties.