In this investigation, four varieties of okra belong to Abelmoschus esculentus.
L. Moench representing a wide range of diverse in the fruit characteristics were used.
These varieties were named as: Romi, Balady, Mansoura Red and Cairo Red. All
possible combinations among these four varieties were made according to a complete
diallel crosses mating design. The obtained genotypes were evaluated during two
successive growing summer seasons. The obtained results could be summarized in
the following; performance of the four parental varieties and their F1 hybrids including
reciprocals were variable from year to another.
Out of the four parental varieties, Cairo Red was the highest in number of
branches per plant. However. the variety giving the highest yield as number of
fruitsrplant and weight of fruitsiplant was Romi followed by Cairo Red. While, the
desirable variety with lower means for earliness traits as number of nodes for first
flower and days to first flower was Romi. However, the best variety in fruit
characteristics as length and diameter of fruit was Elaiady.
On the other hand, no specific hybrid showed superiority over other
combinations for all studied traits. However, the best combination for number of
branchesi‘plant was Romi x Mansoura Red. The desirable combinations for earliness
traits with lower means for number of nodes for first flower and days for first flower
were Romi x Mansoura Red and Cairo Red x Romi, respectively. In addition, the best
combination for yield as number of fruits and weight of fruit was Cairo Red x Balady.
The results exhibited desirable negative heterosis over the high parent in
the earliness traits as number of nodes tor first flower and days to first flower. In spite
of no heterosis observed in the cases of number of branchesrplant, number of fruits
per plant and weight of fruits per plant when the overall hybrids means were
compared by either mid-parental values or higher parent, some combinations showed
heterosis over their higher parent, such as P1 x P; for number of branches per plant
and weight of fruits per plant, in addition P3 x P2 for number of fruits per plant.
Comparison of the GCA effects of individual parent exhibited that the
variety Romi was the best combiner for eariiness traits as number of nodes to the first
flower, days to the first flower as well as the yield as fruit number per plant. However,
the best combiners for number of branches per plant (NB/p) and fruit yield as weight
of fruits were Mansoura Red and Cairo Red, respectively Thus, it could be suggested
that these varieties posses favorable genes for improving hybrids and could be
utilized in a breeding program for improving these traits
The results showed that additive genetic variances played the major role in
the inheritance of these traits On the other hand, considerable values of reciprocal
effects variance were observed in all studied traits except for number of
branchesrpiant, indicating the role of cytoplasmic factors in the expression of these
studied traits in addition, the three sources of variances (additive, dominances and
reciprocal effects} Interacted with different years with different magnitudes, indicating
that these parameters, especially reciprocal effects (high magnitudes) are unstable
with different environmental conditions. In conclusion. it could be claimed that the
studied traits were mainly controlled by additive effects, while non-additive,
 
cytoplasmic factors and epigenetic factors played a minor role in the expression of
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