Jul 2026· Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding· 0 citations
Abstract
Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is an important oilseed crop contributing substantially to India’s edible oil production. The present investigation was undertaken to assess genetic variability among 30 Indian mustard genotypes evaluated for twelve quantitative traits. In Rabi, 2023–2024, the experiment was carried out at the Instructional Farm, Sri Karan Narendra College of Agriculture, Jobner, Jaipur, using a randomised block design with three replications. Significant differences between genotypes for every variable were found by analysis of variance, suggesting that there is sufficient genetic variability. The number of branches per plant showed moderate phenotypic variation (10 to 20 %), whereas the number of siliquae per plant and seed output per plant showed high phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation (>20 %). The majority of the remaining characteristics showed little phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation (<10 %). Plant height, days to maturity, oil content, days to 50 per cent flowering, siliquae per plant, seed production per plant and chlorophyll content all showed high heritability estimates, indicating little environmental influence. For certain traits, substantial heritability and moderate genetic advancement suggested that both additive and non-additive gene activity were involved, underscoring their value in selection for increased yield. Selection for traits exhibiting high heritability and genetic advance may facilitate the development of high-yielding Indian mustard varieties. Promising genotypes identified in present investigation may be employed in pedigree breeding, disruptive mating and recurrent selection breeding programme to combine favourable yield attributes in future Indian mustard cultivars.
The present investigation evaluated fifteen Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) genotypes for seed yield and associated component traits during the Rabi season of 2025-26 at the Agricultural Research Farm, Prof. Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya) University, Naini, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Block Design with three replications. Eleven quantitative traits were recorded and analysed for variability, heritability, genetic advance, correlation and path coefficient effects. Analysis of variance showed highly significant differences among genotypes for most traits, indicating the presence of exploitable genetic variability. High genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation were recorded for the number of siliquae per plant, number of siliquae per shoot and number of seeds per plant. Broad-sense heritability was highest for the number of siliquae per plant, number of siliquae per shoot and plant height at 90 DAS, and these traits also showed high genetic advance as a percentage of the mean. Seed yield per plot showed strong positive genotypic associations with the number of siliquae per shoot, number of seeds per siliqua and number of seeds per plant. Path coefficient analysis indicated that plant height at 90 DAS, number of siliquae per shoot and number of siliquae per plant were important contributors to seed yield at the genotypic level. The findings indicate that these traits may support selection for yield improvement in Indian mustard under the studied conditions.
Indian mustard belongs to the family Brassicaceae and the genus Brassica and is a major oilseed crop cultivated in India. Worldwide, it is the third-ranked oilseed crop in terms of consumption after palm oil and soybean. However, productivity remains below its potential because of various biotic and abiotic stressors coupled with a narrow genetic base, highlighting the need to broaden the genetic base and exploit heterosis to develop superior cultivars. Therefore, in the present study, general and specific combining ability analyses were conducted to assess the combining abilities of the parents and the performance of hybrids at the Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Morena, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Agricultural University, Gwalior, M. P., India, during Rabi 2026. During the present investigation, 16 yield-attributing traits were evaluated using 10 lines, 3 testers, and their thirty F1 hybrids developed through a line × tester mating design to estimate the magnitude and direction of combining abilities. Among the lines and testers, GCA effects showed that parents viz., Pusa Bold, Rohini, Varuna, and Vardhan were good general combiners because they exhibited desirable negative and highly significant GCA effects for days to 50% flowering, days to siliquae initiation, and plant height. However, Pusa Bold was recognized as a good general combiner because it displayed positive and highly significant GCA effects for the maximum number of quantitative traits, including seed yield per plant and harvest index. The cross-combination Pusa Jagannath × PAB-2014-4 had the highest SCA effect for seed yield per plant, biological yield, number of siliquae per plant and number of primary branches per plant, while Maya × PAB-2014-8 showed high SCA effects for seed yield per plant, biological yield and number of siliquae on the main raceme.
Soyal Davalasab Wathar, M. K. Tripathi, Jagendra Singh et al.· Plant cell biotechnology and...· 0 citations
The present investigation was undertaken to elucidate the nature and magnitude of gene action governing seed yield and oil quality traits in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. & Coss.) using generation mean analysis. Four crosses, namely PR36 × Rohini, PRE11 × CS60, PRE15 × CS58, and PRL26 × Giriraj, were studied using six generations (P₁, P₂, F₁, F₂, BC₁, and BC₂) during the Rabi seasons of 2022–2024 at Ajitmal, Uttar Pradesh, India. Analysis of variance revealed significant genetic variability for seed yield, oil content, protein content, and fatty acid composition. Significant scaling tests indicated the presence of epistatic interactions, and therefore, the six-parameter model was employed. Both additive (d) and non-additive (h) gene effects were involved in the inheritance of most traits, with additive × additive (i) and dominance × dominance (l) interactions being predominant in several cases. The results suggest that a combined breeding strategy involving hybridization followed by selection in advanced segregating generations would be effective for improving seed yield and oil quality traits in Indian mustard.
Mithalesh Kumar, Ajay Kumar· Environment and Ecology· 0 citations
Background: Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is one of the most important oilseed crops, contributing significantly to edible oil production and nutritional security. However, its productivity and quality are frequently constrained by abiotic stresses, necessitating the identification of genetically diverse and stress-resilient genotypes for sustainable crop improvement. The present investigation was conducted during the Rabi 2025–2026 season at the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Prof. Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya) University, Prayagraj, India. Ten mustard genotypes, comprising nine test entries and one check variety, were evaluated in a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Observations were recorded for growth, yield, quality, physiological, and stress tolerance traits. Genetic variability was assessed through analysis of variance, genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation, heritability, genetic advance, correlation, and path coefficient analyses. Significant (P ≤ 0.01) genetic variation was observed among the genotypes for all studied traits, indicating substantial scope for genetic improvement. Genotype G₉ consistently exhibited superior performance for growth, yield, nutritional quality, physiological efficiency, and antioxidant activity, recording the highest seed yield (19.33 q ha⁻¹), oil content (45.48%), protein content (23.05%), oil yield (651.25 kg ha⁻¹), relative water content (85.05%), membrane stability index (68.05%), proline accumulation, catalase activity, and peroxidase activity, while exhibiting the lowest glucosinolate content (22.80 µmol g⁻¹). Genotype G₆ ranked second for most agronomic and physiological traits. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for seed yield, biological yield, oil yield, branching traits, and antioxidant enzyme activities, suggesting the predominance of additive gene action. Correlation and path coefficient analyses identified biological yield, number of siliquae per plant, test weight, oil content, relative water content, membrane stability index, and antioxidant enzyme activities as major contributors to seed yield and stress resilience. The study demonstrated considerable genetic variability among the evaluated mustard genotypes and identified G₉, followed by G₆ and G₄, as superior genotypes combining high productivity, improved nutritional quality, and enhanced stress tolerance. These genotypes represent valuable genetic resources for breeding programmes aimed at developing climate-resilient, high-yielding, and nutritionally superior mustard cultivars.
H. Kumar, Divya Singh· International Journal of Pla...· 0 citations
A study was carried out with 40 genotypes of Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss.] to examine the degree of genetic divergence within these genotypes. These genotypes were tested in randomized block design with three replications during rabi season of 2022–23 and 2023–24 under early and late planting. The degree of genetic divergence was studied in forty genotypes of Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss.] by using the pooled data of 4 environments (early and late sown). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant variation for all the thirteen characters (Table 1). Further, the estimates of genotypic and phenotypic variance were maximum for number of siliqua followed by biological yield, plant height, days to 50% flowering and days to maturity indicated sufficient genetic variability available in the material. The analysis was carried out in 40 genotypes of Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern & Coss.] using Mahalanobis D2 statistics followed by Rao (1952) for thirteen characters. Genotypes were found to be into seven clusters. The cluster VI had the largest number of genotypes (nine) followed by cluster IV (eight), V(eight), III (six), I (five) and II (four). Results shown that number of primary branches per plant, length of siliqua, plant height, seeds per siliqua and number of secondary branches per plant were the major contributors towards genetic diversity. The maximum intra cluster divergence was in cluster III followed by I, II, VI, V and IV, while maximum inter cluster divergence observed between cluster I and VI followed by cluster II and III, cluster III and VI and cluster I and V which indicates that efficient breeding programme can be formulated to improve yield by hybridization between genotypes of these clusters.
Sharad Kumar Singh Redu, T. Singh· Progressive Agriculture· 0 citations
Understanding the genetic basis of seed yield and component traits is essential for developing efficient breeding strategies in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern. & Coss.), where yield is governed by multiple genes and their interactions. The present study was undertaken to estimate the nature and magnitude of gene effects controlling seed yield and component traits in the cross PYR 2021-5 × PYR 2021-6 using generation mean analysis. Six basic generations (P1, P2, F1, F2, BC1 and BC2) were evaluated in a Compact Family Block Design with three replications during the Rabi 2025-26 season. Sixteen quantitative traits were recorded and genetic parameters were estimated using scaling tests, joint scaling analysis and Hayman's six-parameter model. Scaling tests revealed epistasis for all traits except siliqua length, while joint scaling analysis showed that fourteen traits required four-, five-, or six-parameter digenic interaction models, highlighting the importance of epistatic interactions in their inheritance. Significant additive and dominance effects were detected for most traits, with additive × additive and dominance × dominance interactions contributing substantially to their inheritance. Duplicate epistasis was observed for ten economically important traits, including seed yield per plant, thousand-seed weight and oil content, indicating complex inheritance. The findings demonstrate that both additive and non-additive gene effects govern yield and component traits, suggesting that delayed selection combined with pedigree breeding or recurrent selection may be effective for developing improved mustard genotypes.
K. Mehra, Ayushi Singh, Rajat Nautiyal et al.· Plant cell biotechnology and...· 0 citations