HETEROTIC POTENTIAL OF SINGLE CROSS HYBRIDS IN OKRA (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench)

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) is a specialty pod vegetable widely grown by the Indian farmers for domestic and export markets. Heterosis has been the main driving force for acceptance of okra by the farmers and consumers around the globe including India. All local and open pollinated varieties of okra conventionally grown in the country are currently being replaced by F1 hybrids. Fifteen half-diallel crosses developed by crossing six newly developed inbred lines (RNOYR-14, RNOYR-15, RNOYR-16, RNOYR-17, RNOYR-18 and RNOYR-24) in half-diallel fashion during kharif 2012, along with three standard checks [‘No. 64’ (Mahyco), ‘Avantika’ (228) (Bioseed) and ‘Shakti’ (Nunhems)] were evaluated in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications during summer 2013 at Vegetable Research Station, Rajendranagar, to study their heterotic potential for yield and its components. The crosses RNOYR-17×RNOYR-18, RNOYR-15×RNOYR-16 and RNOYR-16×RNOYR-17 were the top three heterotic hybrids, manifesting significantly positive average heterosis of 82.23, 79.21 and 64.42%, respectively and heterobeltiosis of 71.43, 65.84 and 54.71%, respectively for marketable yield per plant. The cross RNOYR-15×RNOYR-16 manifesting significant standard heterosis of 20.57% over check ‘No. 64’ for marketable yield per plant was the topmost heterotic hybrid, while the other two crosses RNOYR-16×RNOYR-17 and RNOYR-17×RNOYR-18 exhibiting positively non-significant standard heterosis over all the three standard checks.