EXPLORING TRANSGRESSIVE SEGREGATION FOR YIELD AND COMPONENT TRAITS IN EARLY GENERATIONS OF MUNGBEAN (VIGNA RADIATA L. WILCZEK)

Transgressive segregation, a key mechanism utilized by plant breeders, plays a vital role in enhancing crop traits by exploiting genetic diversity within breeding populations.Four crosses viz.HUM 1 x ML 818, HUM 1 x RMG 975, IPM 205-02 x RMG 975, and LGG 4604 x ML 818 along with their parents, which were evaluated in a randomized block design with three replications during the Kharif season of 2022 at the Institutional Farm of Sri Karan Narendra College of Agriculture, Jobner, Jaipur.In this study, transgressive segregants exhibiting desirable traits were observed across eight key characteristics in the F2 generation of four mungbean crosses.The highest percentage of transgressive segregants was observed for plant height (23.33%) in the HUM 1 x ML 818 cross, followed by seed yield per plant (20.00%) in the HUM 1 x RMG 975 cross.Across all crosses, the highest proportion of transgressive segregants was consistently recorded for seed yield per plant (92), followed by plant height (84), pods per plant (83), pod length (81), seeds per pod (76), 100-seed weight (67), clusters per plant (67), and pods per cluster (55).Moreover, the study explored the simultaneous transgression of seed yield per plant with other yield-contributing traits, indicating complex genetic interactions underlying mungbean productivity.Promising transgressive segregants were identified in each cross, displaying substantial improvements in seed yield per plant and other agronomic traits, highlighting their potential for crop improvement.The findings underscore the importance of continued research in transgressive breeding to unlock novel genetic combinations and develop high-performing mungbean varieties capable of addressing agricultural sustainability and food security challenges.