Exploitation of Hybrid Vigour and Combining Ability Studies for Yield and Its Attributing Traits in Ridge Gourd [Luffa acutangula (Roxb.) L.]

Twelve parental lines (7 lines and 5 testers) were crossed in Line × Tester mating design and 35 F1 hybrids of ridge gourd obtained and were studied to investigate the extent of heterosis and combining ability for yield and related traits. Result revealed that the crosses, COHB-1 × Deepthi (25.95 %), COHB-33 × Deepthi (11.07 %) and COHB-32 × Pusa Nutan (5.09 %) exhibited maximum and significant positive heterosis over the commercial check (Naga) for fruit yield per vine. Among the parents, maximum and significant gca effects was recorded in the line COHB-33 (0.66) followed by Pusa Nutan (0.60) and Deepthi (0.44) for fruit yield per vine. The maximum sca effects was observed in the cross COHB-1 × Deepthi (1.64) followed by COHB-32 × Arka Sumeet (1.12) and COHB-32 × Pusa Nutan (1.03)