Exploring the role of heterosis in improvement of floral and vegetative traits in Chrysanthemum

In the present study, eight genotypes of Chrysanthemum were crossed and heterosis was assessed in 28 F1 hybrids. The studies were conducted at the research plot of BTCC (Biotechnology Cum Tissue Culture Centre), Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology (OUAT) Bhubaneswar. The expression of heterosis in F1 hybrids of Chrysanthemum was evaluated in terms of their vegetative and floral attributes. Controlled crossing half-diallel mating design was followed and F1 hybrids were analysed for their performance. The results were compared to parental lines and the extent of heterosis was determined. Significant variation was noted for most characters. The hybrid (ACC-1 ×UHFS-68) was found to exhibit a significant negative heterosis (RH, MP) for the characters such as plant height, days to flower bud initiation and days to final bloom while a significant positive effect of heterosis was noted for flower yield. The cross (Shova × Arka Kirti) exhibited significant positive heterosis for the character flowers per plant and flower yield and negative heterosis was noted for the character days to flower bud initiation. Hybrid (Shova × ACC-1) was found superior to parent in terms of the number of flowers per plant. Both the hybrids showed superiority for this trait. Results revealed that the performance of F1 hybrids were superior to their parents for vegetative and floral attributes.