Genetic variability and component analysis of some metric traits under sodic soil condition in Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czernand coss.]

Experimental material comprising of six parents and their 15 FIS of the Indian mustard was evaluated in Randomized Complete Block Design during Rabi 2004. High estimates of PCV and GCV were obtained for plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, number of siliquae on main raceme, number of seeds per siliqua, 1000-seed weight and seed yield per plant while it was lower for the characters days to flowering, days to maturity and oil content. High narrow sense heritability and high genetic advance was obtained for the characters like number of secondary branches per plant and 1000-seed weight. Seed yield per plant, number of siliquae on main raceme, number of seeds per siliqua and 1000-seed weight. 1000-seed weight had positive and significant correlation with seed yield per plant. The performance of six genetically diverse varieties of Indian mustard and their 15Fls was evaluated to assess their genetic architecture for yield and yield contributing traits in a set of diallel crosses. The component analysis indicated the presence of additive (D) and dominance (H₁ and H₂) genetic variances for characters like number of branches per plant, number of siliquae on main raceme, number of seeds per siliqua, and 1000-seed weight. D component was higher than H₁ for 1000-seed weight and oil content. For the remaining characters H₁ was higher than D component, indicating the predominance of dominance genetic variance. Over dominance was observed for all the characters except for oil content and 1000-seed weight. Highly significant values of F were observed only for oil content, number of secondary branches per plant and 1000 seed weight indicating the presence of dominant alleles. While highly significant values were observed for h² in oil content, number of secondary branches per plant, number of siliquae on main raceme and seed yield per plant.