Generation Mean Analysis using Six Parameters Genetic Model for Yield and Yield Contributing Traits in Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br)

Generation mean analysis study in pearl millet was undertaken to estimate the gene effect controlling in the inheritance of yield and its components using six basic generations viz., P1, P2, F1, F2, B1 and B2 of four different crosses namely DHLBI 21B x DHLBI 28B; DHLBI 36B x DHLBI 28B; DHLBI 21B x ICMB 10899 and DHLBI 36B x ICMB 10899 were studied. For most of the studied traits, additive, dominance, additive x additive, additive x dominance and dominance x dominance were significant. Additive effect significantly contributed for number of effective tillers plants-1, while the magnitude of dominance effect was significantly higher for all characters except number of effective tillers plant-1. For grain yield plant-1 and 1000 grain weight both gene effect additive and dominance are significantly higher. Duplicate type of epistasis was observed in almost all the traits except in few crosses where complementary type of epistasis present. The findings suggested that the reciprocal recurrent selection could be followed improvement of pearl millet traits to exploit all types of gene effect.