PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

The present investigation was conducted to estimate heterosis for yield, yield-attributing traits and chilli leaf curl virus (ChiLCV) resistance in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) using a line × tester mating design. Five female lines and six male testers were crossed to produce 30 F₁ hybrids, which were evaluated along with their parents and two commercial check hybrids. Heterosis was estimated over the mid-parent, better parent and standard checks. Significant variation was observed among the hybrids for all studied traits. The hybrids L5 × T2, L3 × T3, L5 × T3, L4 × T6 and L1 × T6 exhibited significant positive standard heterosis for green fruit yield and several yield-contributing traits. The cross L4 × T6 recorded the highest heterosis over the mid-parent and better parent for plant height, whereas L5 × T3 showed superior performance over both commercial checks. For number of branches per plant, L2 × T3, L1 × T6 and L2 × T6 were the best-performing hybrids across different heterosis estimates. Earliness was observed in L3 × T6, L1 × T2 and L3 × T3, as indicated by significant negative heterosis for days to 50% flowering. Hybrids L1 × T6, L5 × T3 and L4 × T6 expressed superior heterosis for fruit length, while L3 × T6, L3 × T5 and L1 × T6 performed best for fruit diameter. The hybrids L2 × T6, L2 × T2 and L1 × T6 showed the highest heterosis for fruit weight. Cross L3 × T5 recorded superior performance for number of fruits per plant, whereas L5 × T2 exhibited the highest positive heterosis for green fruit yield. For ChiLCV disease severity, L3 × T5 expressed significant negative heterosis over the mid-parent and better parent, while L1 × T6 showed the lowest disease incidence compared with both commercial checks. These hybrids may serve as promising genetic resources for developing high-yielding and ChiLCV-tolerant chilli hybrids.