Heterosis breeding is one of the most efficient tools to exploit the heterotic response for various useful traits. The Line × Tester mating design was undertaken with seven lines and three testers were evaluated along with twenty one hybrids in randomized block design to estimate the magnitude of heterosis for yield and its yield contributing characters. The best way to utilize heterosis in crop is to generate F1 hybrids having maximum heterozygocity, thereby facilitating the identification and selection of hybrid vigor. The positive significant standard heterosis for fruit yield per plant was maximum with L3 × T1 (28.94%) followed by L7 × T3 (15.73%) and L7 × T1 (15.10%) respectively. Some of the promising hybrids have showed desirable heterosis for plant height, number of fruits per plant,1000 seed weight, seedling shoot length, seedling root length and seedling dry weight.

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Background: In contrast to field crops, quality is often more essential than yield in vegetable crops. As a result, this research began with the objective of assessing the diversity and novelty of okra genotypes. Methods: A field investigation was carried out at Sivapuri Village, Chidambaram, Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, India, in the summer of 2020-2021. To match with distinctiveness, uniformity and stability, qualitative data for 18 characters were collected based on vegetative and reproductive characters. Result: Results obtained in this study revealed a high level of variability among the genotypes for the majority of the qualitative traits, except for plant growth habit, branching position, leaf blade colour between veins, fruit type and seed size. The fruit-related characters exhibited a large diversity in the genotypes studied. Mature fruit colour was obtained with 8.3% of yellowish green, 23.3% of green and 68.4% of dark green fruits recorded for genotypes. Based on genetic variation, the ultimate objective of vegetable breeding programmes is to generate new varieties exhibiting elite combinations of many desired qualitative attributes in okra using traditional breeding procedures.

SUMMARYRice is one of the main staple food of man and is grown in almost all the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of pre-sowing seed hardening treatment with different chemicals such as 1% CaCl 2 , 1% KCl, 1% KNO 3 and 1% NaCl and organics such as 10% cow dung and 3% panchagavya on seed quality and seed yield in rice cv. ADT 36. In general seed hardening treatment of rice before sowing significantly increased the seed quality characteristics and yield attributing characters when compared to untreated seeds. From the result, it was observed that 1% CaCl 2 seed hardening treatment improved the seed quality characters such as germination percentage, speed of germination, shoot length, root length, seedling length, dry matter production, vigour index and yield attributing characters such as number of productive tillers per plant, number of seeds per panicle and seed yield per plant. Hence, rice seeds hardened with 1% CaCl 2 may be recommended to get higher seed yield and seed quality.

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Background: Blackgram is one of the important pulse crops belongs to the Papilionaceae family. Seed germination and seedling growth are a very important step in the survival of a plant. Water stress is one of the important factors affects seedling growth. Methods: An experiment was conducted to study the effect of water stress on seedling growth in twenty-one blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] genotypes at the pot culture yard of Annamalai University during March 2018. The water stress was created by using Polyethylene Glycol (6000 MW) in different concentrations (0%, 10% and 20%). Different phenotypic characters were recorded such as shoot length, root length, shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, shoot dry weight and root dry weight at two different levels of treatment and control. The experiment was laid in a completely randomized design with two replications. Result: The combined analysis of variance revealed significant differences (p less than 0.001) among genotypes, treatments and genotypes × treatments interaction. The highest stress tolerance index (STI) was recorded by the genotype ADT-5. Based on clustering and ranking, the genotypes ADT-5, KGB-28, RU-16-9, VBG-10010 and VBG-12062 were classified as drought-tolerant. Overall, pot culture screening of 21 blackgram genotypes for drought tolerance at seedling stage using various concentrations of PEG 6000 resulted in the identification of drought-tolerant genotypes, where ADT-5 showed the highest tolerance followed by KGB-28 and RU-16-9.

: Combining ability analysis was studied in a line x tester analysis of rice (Oryza sativa L.). The analysis of variance for combining ability revealed that the variance due to GCA and SCA were highly significant for all the characters indicated that nonadditive gene actions were involved in the expression of the traits. Among the line AURC 14 and testers IR 64 and ADT 43 were considered as the best general combiners, while hybrids AURC 1 x ADT 36, AURC 8 x ADT 36, AURC 8 ADT 43, AURC 10 x ADT 43, AURC 14 x ADT 36, AURC 14 x TRY 1, AURC 22 x IR 64, AURC 22 x TRY 1 and AURC 25 x ADT 36 as good specific combiners for grain yield and other yield contributing and quality traits. The promising line AURC 14 and testers IR 64 and ADT 43 which are having high GCA effects in desirable direction for yield components and for quality traits may be incorporated in crossing programme. The crosses AURC 14 x TRY 1 and AURC 22 x IR 64 exhibited good SCA effects for major yield and more than seven yield contributing characters. This may be exploited for better yield and quality either by exploiting them through heterosis breeding or involving them in multiple cross breeding programme.