Abstract
Five mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) strains, selected for their diverse plant characteristics and origins, were evaluated for ten variables in a diallele experiment using regression coefficients, correlations, and combining ability estimate. Regression coefficients were high, indicating large additive effects for most of the variables. Yield was positively correlated with number of pods per plant number of seeds per pod 1000-seed weight, and plant size as measured by plant height and branch length, and negatively correlated with virus score. Negative correlations of yield with late flowering and mildew score were non-significant. Genetic variability among F1 plants for the ten variables was largely accounted for by highly significant general combining ability (GCA) effects, although specific combining ability (SCA) effects were observed for five traits. GCA effects were much larger than SCA effects, SCA effects being non-significant in general, suggesting that the variables are predominantly controlled by loci with additive gene effects. Hence, classical breeding systems which made use of additive genetic variance would be effective here.
