Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

The investigation was conducted to assess the association of genetic diversity of parental lines with mean performance of hybrids, mid parent heterosis, better parent heterosis and sca effects. The material for this study consisted of five male-sterile lines, eight pollinator lines, 40 F1 crosses, which were generated through Line x Tester matings. Whole of the material was grown in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. All the parental lines were screened to detect polymorphism in the form of RAPD markers. Genetic diversity among the parental lines was determined by RAPD markers and morphological characters. The genetic distances so obtained were correlated with F1 mean performance and heterosis. Positive correlation was obtained between molecular marker diversity and F1 mean performance, heterosis over better parent but the value of correlation coefficient was found to be non-significant. In contrary, negative correlation was obtained between taxonomic distance and F1 mean performance; better parent heterosis. Our results have indicated that genetic-distance measures based on RAPDs may be useful for the grouping of parents, but not for predicting heterotic combinations in pearl millet.

Biography

G. Nagaraju has submitted his Ph.D. to Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and published three papers of International repute and attended several national and international conferences and also presented posters.