Studies on Combining Ability in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.)

Combining ability study in eight bitter gourd lines, to identify suitable parents and crosses for further exploitation, indicated that the lines MC 13 (L₁) and Panruti Local (L₂) were good general combiners for yield per vine. The lines Ayakudi Local (L₃) and Mithipagal (L₅) recorded negative general combining ability and lower per se for days to first female flowering and days to fruit maturity. This can be utilized in breeding programme to develop earliness in bitter gourd. The hybrids MC 13 x Arka Harit (L₁ x T₃), Panruti Local x VK 1 Priya (L₂ x T₂) and MC 13 x Co 1 (L₁ x T₁) registered higher per se and specific combining ability for fruit length, individual fruit weight and yield per vine. The study revealed that additive x additive and additive x dominance type of interactions played a major role for days to first female flowering, days to fruit maturity, number of fruits per vine, fruit length, fruit size index, cavity size index, single fruit weight and yield per vine. The lines L₁, L₂, L₃ and L₅ expressed higher per se and general combining ability for most of the characters can successfully be utilized for developing superior hybrids in bitter gourd hybridization programmes.