Studies on genetic variability parameters were carried out in Quality Protein Maize (QPM) genotypes at AICRP on maize Rajasthan College of Agriculture, MPUAT, Udaipur, Rajasthan and in kharif 2014 for 15 various traits like days to 50 per cent tasseling, days to 50 per cent silking, anthesis silking interval, days to 75 per cent brown husk, plant height, ear height, ear length, 100-grain weight, grain yield per plant, harvest index, oil content, starch content, protein content, tryptophan content and lysine content in QPM genotypes. The experimental material consisting of 18 lines and 4 standard checks viz., Pratap QPM hybrid-1, Vivek QPM-9, HQPM-1 and HQPM-5 was raised in randomized block design in three replications. In the present investigation significant differences between the test entries were observed for all the yield and yield contributing traits and quality parameters. The grain yield per plant had highly significant and positive correlations both at genotypic and phenotypic levels with 100-grain weight (r g =0.863, r p =0.829), starch content (r g =0.657, r p =0.649), harvest index (r g =0.529, r p =0.504), lysine Content (r g =0.518, r p =0.486), ear length (r g =0.476, r p =0.463), tryptophan content (r g =0.468, r p =0.457) and ear height (r g =0.351, r p =0.339). The highest positive and direct effect was found for days to 50% tasseling (5.559) followed by lysine content (0.710) and starch content (0.439). The negative and direct effect was found for days to 50% silking (-5.774) and plant height (-0.331).

Thirty eight rice germplasms were evaluated to assess their genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance, correlation and direct-indirect effect for grain yield and yield contributing traits. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences for all the characters under study, indicating the presence of high genetic variability among the genotypes. The genotype CRR599-4-1 was found to be the best for grain yield and effective tiller plant-1 , panicle length, test weight and spikelet fertility per cent on the basis of per se performance. The high estimates of GCV and PCV were observed for traits like grain yield per plant, filled grains panicle-1 , effective tillers plant-1 indicating their importance in selection for improving the rice yield. High heritability coupled with high expected genetic advance as percent of mean was observed for the traits field grain panicle-1 , spikelet fertility percentage and days to maturity. Grain yield plant-1 had strong positive association with spikelet fertility percentage, filled grain panicle-1 , effective tiller plant-1 , plant height and test weight and significant positive correlation with plant height, effective tillers plant-1 , test weight, filled grains panicle-1 and spikelet fertility. Path coefficient analysis revealed that days to 50% flowering, plant height, number of effective tiller, panicle length, test weight and filled grain panicle-1 exhibit positive direct effect on grain yield plant-1. 2. Materials and Methods

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Forty-five single-cross hybrids developed from ten inbred lines of quality protein maize through diallel mating design along with four checks viz., Pratap QPM Hybrid-1, Vivek QPM-9, HQPM-1 and HQPM-5 were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications for seventeen traits during kharif-2014, to identify the heterotic superiority of the New cross combinations over the parents and best check. Out of 45 crosses, 42 crosses over mid parent, 37 crosses over better parent and 6 crosses over standard check (HQPM-5) significantly out yielded for grain yield plant-1. Hybrid P 6 ×P 8 showed maximum per se performance for grain yield plant-1 , stover yield plant-1 , ear length, ear girth and tryptophan content also showed good per se performance for oil content (6.13%), starch content (69.83%), protein content (10.52%) and for lysine content (4.19%) with maximum positive significant economic heterosis (19.63%) for grain yield plant-1 , over the best check HQPM-5. Hybrid P 5 ×P 8 showed highest per se performance along with maximum positive significant economic heterosis for lysine content and protein content over the best check Vivek QPM-9 and HQPM-5, respectively. Another hybrid P 3 ×P 5 and P 5 ×P 7 exhibited highest per se performance for oil content and starch content, respectively, along with maximum positive significant economic heterosis over the best check HQPM-5 and HQPM-1, respectively.

Forty-five single-cross hybrids developed (in rabi 2014) from ten inbred lines of quality protein maize through diallel mating design along with four checks viz., Pratap QPM Hybrid- 1, Vivek QPM- 9, HQPM- 1 and HQPM-5 were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications for yield and quality traits during kharif-2014, to estimate the gca (general combining ability) of the parents and sca (specific combining ability) of hybrids considered for the development of high yielding varieties. The analysis of variance for combining ability revealed significant mean sum of squares due to gca and sca for all the traits, except mean sum of square due to gca for num-ber of grain rows per ear. Ratio of σ2 sca / σ 2 gca was greater than one for all the traits, thereby indicating the preponderance of non-additive gene effects in the expression of these traits. Inbred line P8 and P5 has been found good general combiner with highest magnitude of gca effects 10.46 and 8.89, respectively and high per se i.e. 52.33 g and 44.67 g, respectively for grain yield per plant and majority of traits. Hybrids P6xP8, P5xP8, P3xP5, P5xP7 and P1xP8 showed higher significant positive sca effects ranged from 25.66 to 34.59 along with good per se ranged from 98.00 to 107.67 g for grain yield per plant. These hybrids also exhibited significant positive sca effects for most of the yield and quality traits under study, indicating potential and may be used for exploiting hybrid vigour in in QPM hybrid breeding programmes.