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<p>Bitter gourd (<i>Momordica charantia</i> L.) requires targeted breeding strategies to enhance productivity and fruit quality to meet evolving market demands. This study evaluated the genetic potential of 11 diverse parental lines and their 55 hybrids generated via a half-diallel mating design to determine gene action, combining ability, and heterosis. The genotypes were evaluated in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications for five key quantitative traits: fruit length, fruit girth, average fruit weight, early yield, and total yield per acre. Analysis of variance revealed distinct gene action governing different traits. Fruit dimensions were predominantly controlled by additive gene action, evidenced by high GCA/SCA ratios (3.13 for length; 2.19 for girth) and high narrow-sense heritability (67.8% for length), suggesting effective improvement through direct selection. Conversely, yield and fruit weight traits were governed by non-additive gene action, indicated by low GCA/SCA ratios for early yield (0.33), total yield (0.24) and fruit weight (0.83), necessitating population improvement based on combining ability information (hybrid performance). Significant heterosis was observed, with mid-parent and better parent heterosis magnitudes reaching up to 238% (hybrid P1 × P6) for early yield and better-parent heterosis up to 70% for total yield (hybrid P3 × P6). The gynoecious parent P6 emerged as a critical contributor to earliness, while P8 was the best general combiner for total yield. Four hybrids—P3 × P6, P5 × P6, P5 × P7, and P6 × P8—recorded yields of approximately 13 t/acre, statistically comparable to the commercial check ‘Pragati’. Further research, including multi-location trials and heterotic pool development, will be essential to validate these findings and facilitate the development of improved bitter gourd cultivars with enhanced yield and fruit quality.</p>

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Combining ability, gene action and heterosis revealed through half diallel analysis in diverse germplasm of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia)

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月20日

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  • Anita Verma,
  • Shikha Dubey,
  • Alpana Joshi

摘要

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) requires targeted breeding strategies to enhance productivity and fruit quality to meet evolving market demands. This study evaluated the genetic potential of 11 diverse parental lines and their 55 hybrids generated via a half-diallel mating design to determine gene action, combining ability, and heterosis. The genotypes were evaluated in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications for five key quantitative traits: fruit length, fruit girth, average fruit weight, early yield, and total yield per acre. Analysis of variance revealed distinct gene action governing different traits. Fruit dimensions were predominantly controlled by additive gene action, evidenced by high GCA/SCA ratios (3.13 for length; 2.19 for girth) and high narrow-sense heritability (67.8% for length), suggesting effective improvement through direct selection. Conversely, yield and fruit weight traits were governed by non-additive gene action, indicated by low GCA/SCA ratios for early yield (0.33), total yield (0.24) and fruit weight (0.83), necessitating population improvement based on combining ability information (hybrid performance). Significant heterosis was observed, with mid-parent and better parent heterosis magnitudes reaching up to 238% (hybrid P1 × P6) for early yield and better-parent heterosis up to 70% for total yield (hybrid P3 × P6). The gynoecious parent P6 emerged as a critical contributor to earliness, while P8 was the best general combiner for total yield. Four hybrids—P3 × P6, P5 × P6, P5 × P7, and P6 × P8—recorded yields of approximately 13 t/acre, statistically comparable to the commercial check ‘Pragati’. Further research, including multi-location trials and heterotic pool development, will be essential to validate these findings and facilitate the development of improved bitter gourd cultivars with enhanced yield and fruit quality.