Identification of potential hybrids for heterosis breeding in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

The extent of heterosis for eleven traits, including seed yield per plant, was investigated in sesame. During summer 2019, 21 F1 crosses from 7 parents (GT 03, SKT 1501, AT 413, AT 383, AT 338, AT 307 and AT 345) were developed by using a diallel mating (7 x 7) design that excluded reciprocals. In Kharif 2019, twenty-nine entries (genotypes) which including a check (GT-04), seven parents, and their 21 F1 hybrids were evaluated in randomized block design (RBD) with three replication at the 'Agronomy Instructional Farm, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, Gujarat'. The highly significant and positive standard heterosis with high per se performance for seed yield per plant and some of its component traits were recorded in the crosses viz GT 03 x SKT 1501, GT 03 x AT 307, GT 03 x AT 345, SKT 1501 x AT 307, AT 413 x AT 307, and AT 307 x AT 345. Five hybrids showed highly significant positive heterobeltiosis for seed yield per plant, while six hybrids showed highly significant positive standard heterosis for seed yield per plant. In Sesame, the current research shows that there is a lot of potential for isolating pure lines from heterotic F1s progenies as well as commercialising heterosis.