Use of testers for combining ability and selection of papapya hybrids

Abstract

Using methods for estimating combining ability with the use of testers, where one or more genotypes arecrossed with all the plant material to be investigated, is simpler and faster than a diallel. The objective was to make use oftesters to select hybrids with a level of yield capacity and fruit quality that justifies their selection. A test was performed with20 papaya hybrids from the crossing of 13 'Solo'with tester' Formosa '(JS-12), and seven 'Formosa' lines, crossed with tester'Solo' (SS 72/12) in Linhares, state of Espirito Santo, between August 2006 and July 2007. The specific combining ability wasdetermined for 14 traits of papaya by the difference between the overall mean and the mean of each hybrid crossed with thetesters. The genotypes with the best values of Specific Combining Ability (SCA) for yield traits and fruit quality were: JS-12 xSS 72/12; JS-12 x São Mateus and SS72/12 x Sekati, particularly the latter.

Keywords

• Carica papaya L.
• genetic parameters
• combining ability
• specific combining ability
• selection index.