Combining ability and heterosis for yield and quality traits in pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Increase pea yield and quality traits are essential goalsin any breeding program. This study was carried out during three winter growing seasons of 2018/ 2019, 2019/ 2020, and 2020/ 2021 on pea using diallel mating design (4×4) without reciprocals at Fac. Agric., Zagazig Univ., Egypt. Analysis of variance showed significant and highly significant mean squares for all the studied traits of genotypes, except the TSS trait, which had insignificant. Parent Master B (P2) showed positive and significant general combining ability (GCA) effects for pod number/ plant, 100-seed weight, and yield/ plant and parent Entsar 2 (P4) for plant height, plant dry weight, pod length, pod diameter, and seed number/pod. The pea cross Little Marvel (P3) × Entsar 2 (P4) had the highest values of mean and desirable effects of specific combining ability (SCA) for yield/ plant and pod number/ plant. Additive gene action was controlled plant height, plant dry weight, pod length, pod diameter, seed number/pod, pod number/plant, TSS, and protein content, while nonadditive controlled the rest characters. Cross Cambados (P1) × Little Marvel (P3) exhibited positive and significant SCA effects for branch number, plant dry weight, pod length, seed number/pod, and TSS. Positive and significant heterosis values were recorded in crosses P3 × P4 andP2 × P3 for yield/ plant and pod number/ plant. Therefore, these genotypes could be used in the future program to improve pea yield.