Sarkar et.al.

contains a gelatinous compound called luffein. It

desirable parents and crosses for further exploitation

has lot of medicinal use. The oil from the seeds is

(Munshi and Verma 1999). In actual plant breeding

known to cure coetaneous complaints, the roots have

combining abilities have found their principal

laxative effects and the juice from the leaves is used

use in predicting the performance of parents and

to cure granular conjunctivitis of the eye, adrenal

hybrid populations of outbreeders, often in the

type diabetes and hemorrhoids. The juice prepared

form of test-crosses or polycrosses. Diallel analysis

from ridge gourd is a natural remedy for jaundice.

is widely used to estimate combining ability effects

It helps to purify blood and lowers the blood sugar

of the parents and the crosses (Griffin 1956a). Diallel

level, also good for stomach and skin. It is having

analysis is most balanced and systemic experimental

abortifacient,

antitumor,

ribosome

inactivating

design to examine continuous variation. The

and immunomodulatory activities. The fruit is

genetic information related to parental population

demulcent, diuretic and nutritive. Seeds possess

becomes available quite in early generation i.e. in

purgative and emetic properties. The pounded leaves

F1 and it is thus useful to define breeding strategy

are applied locally to aplenitis, haemorrhoides and

without losing much time. In diallel cross system,

leprosy. The leaf juice prevents the lids adhering at

there is no need for parents to be strictly inbred

night from excessive meibomian secretion (Rahman

or to have uniformity. Heterosis has contributed

et al. , 2008). In spite of wide range of variability

significantly towards increased crop production

in different characters and being an important

and it has become the basis of multi-billion dollar

cucurbit of immense medicinal and nutritional

agro-business in the world (Phillips 1999). In order

value very little improvement work has been done.

to make an effective improvement in the characters

Ridge gourd, being predominantly monoecious is a

related to earliness and vegetative traits, F1 hybrid

cross pollinated crop and provide ample scope for

breeding is prominent among the methods used

utilization of the hybrid vigour. Single fruit of this

in the improvement of ridge gourd. Hybrids

vegetable gives large number of seeds and the cost of

under optimum crop production and protection

production of F1 seeds is not high in comparison to

management give economically more yield than that

the other cucurbitaceous vegetables. Hence a speedy

the improved varieties and also provide, uniform

improvement can be brought about by assessing

size, earliness, better keeping quality and resistance

the genetic variability and exploitation of heterosis.

to biotic and abiotic stresses (Kalloo et al. , 2000.

Various breeding techniques have been advocated

There is not a single F1 hybrid available in this

considering the breeding behaviour of crop species.

vegetable by public sector till date for commercial

OutoftheseF1hybridbreedingisprominentandused

cultivation in India. Owing to the existence of large

in the improvement of vegetable crops, especially in

variability it was considered worthwhile to take up

out breeding species. For development of promising

the present investigation, therefore an experiment

F1 hybrids, the identification of genetically

on 28 F1 hybrids obtained by crossing 8 diverse

superior plants is an important pre-requisite. A

parental lines of hermaphrodite and monoecious

wrong choice of parents at this stage may undo a

ridge gourd through half-diallel method was studied

meticulously planned and well-executed follow up

to investigate the extent of combining ability and

programme. The analysis of combining ability helps

heterosis for earliness and vegetative characters.

in selecting suitable genotypes as parents. A speedy

improvement can be brought about by assembling

Materials and Methods

the genetical variability, locating the best combiners

The experiment was conducted during May, 2010

and exploiting the heterosis. Combining ability

to August, 2010 in open field in a Randomized

analysis (Sprague and Tatum 1942) is one of the

Block Design with three replications at Vegetable

powerful tools available which gives the estimates

Research Centre, GBPUAT Pantnagar. The parental

of combining ability effect and aids in selecting

lines consist of one hermaphrodite viz. PCPGR 7256;

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