Assessing the Magnitude of Heterosis for Yield and its Component Traits in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

Abstract

The present study was conducted to assess the magnitude of heterosis in 28 sesame hybrids derived from a Line x Tester mating design involving four female and seven male genotypes, along with their 11 parents and one standard check (JLT-408). The experiment was carried out during Rabi 2024–25 at the Experimental Farm, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Latur. Observations were recorded on seed yield and associated traits. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among parents and crosses for key traits including plant height, number of capsules per plant, 1000 seed weight, seed yield per plant and oil content. Several hybrids, notably TBS-07 × TS-24, TBS-02 × TS-20, TBS-09 × TS-20, TBS-09 × TS-24 and TBS-10 × V-22, exhibited high standard heterosis over the standard check JLT-408 for seed yield and other yield related traits. The identification and selection of such high heterotic hybrids with superior per se performance can be considered a promising strategy for genetic improvement in sesame.