Estimation of Combining Ability and Genetic Parameters in Hybrids in Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) for Vegetative Growth Traits

Abstract

This experiment was carried out during the 2023–2024 crop season to estimate general combining ability, specific combining ability, variance components and genetic parameters for vegetative growth characters of F2 and F3 flax hybrids. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications at Al-Hamdia Research Station, College of Agriculture, University of Anbar. Seven parental genotypes including four males (Sakaa 1, Sakaa 2, Sakaa 3, and Sakaa 5) and three females (Sakaa 6, Geza 8 and Souri) were crossed in factorial mating design leading to generation of twelve F2 hybrids and twelve F3 hybrids. Highly significant differences (p < 0.01) were observed between parents and hybrids, indicating high genetic diversity. In the F2 generation, hybrids of Geza 8 had better general combining ability for total chlorophyll content, stem diameter and number of secondary branches per plant. On the other hand, F3 generation had high performance in case of F2’s derived from Sakaa 2 at days to flowering 50% and number of main branches per plant. The findings indicate that here is rich genetic resource among the germplasm tested and Geza 8 and Sakaa 2 can be potential parent combination for selection superior cultigens with regards to vegetative growth characters in flax breeding.

Keywords

• Chlorophyll
• Flax
• Genetic
• Inherit
• Vegetative Growth

References

1. Abdel-Moneam, M. (2014). Diallel cross analysis for yield and its related traits in some genotypes of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). International Journal of Plant Breeding and Genetics, 8, 153-163. https://doi.org/10.3923/ijpbg.2014.153.163
2. Addaheri, A. M. S., Mahmood, E. K., & Al-Fahad, A. C. (2025). Influence of seeding rates on lodging and yield of different oat cultivars. Anbar Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.32649/ajas.2025.151509.1311
3. Agrawal, P. K., & Ahmad, Z. (1982). Principles of plant genetics and breeding. New Delhi, India: Concept Publishing Company.
4. Al-Ani, S. H. I., Mohammed, M. I., & Noaman, A. (2024). Performance, heterosis, and inbreeding depression of flax genotypes (Linum usitatissimum L.) of the factorial mating design. Kirkuk University Journal for Agricultural Sciences, 15(4), 181-189.
5. AL-izawee, R., & TT, M. I. H. (2020). Effect of two types of sprayer nozzles on the yield traits and its components for cultivars of flax and evaluating the fixed spraying irrigation systems. Euphrates Journal of Agriculture Science, 12(2), 248-264.
6. Comstock, R. E., & Robinson, H. F. (1948). The components of genetic variance in populations of biparental progenies and their use in estimating the average degree of dominance. biometrics, 4(4), 254-266. https://doi.org/10.2307/3001412
7. Dhirhi, N., & Mehta, N. (2019). Estimation of genetic variability and correlation in F2 segregating generation in linseed (Linum usitatisimum L.). Plant Archives, 19(1), 475-484.
8. Drej, M., & Noaman, A. (2021). Assessment of the productive traits of several Flax cultivars by effect of sowing dates. Paper presented at the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/904/1/012076

9. El-Rashidy, Z. A., & El-Abedeen, A. Z. (2023). Estimation of some genetic parameters for grain yield and its components in two bread wheat crosses. Egyptian Journal of Plant Breeding, 27(2), 153-168. https://doi.org/10.12816/ejpb.2023.301679
10. Fahmy Al-Hadidi, R. M., Al-Jubouri, W. A., & Khalaf Al-Ishaqi, J. M. (2024). The role of Soaking and spraying with some micronutrients in the qualitative characteristics of potato yield (Solanum tuberosum L.). Journal of Kirkuk University for Agricultural Sciences, 15(4), 1-9.
11. FAOSTAT. (2022). Food and Agriculture Organization Statistical Databases. France, China, Egypt. http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC.
12. Göçmen, D. B. (2025). Grain yield stability of durum wheat genotypes: a graphical approach. Turkish Journal Of Field Crops, 30(1), 164-174. https://doi.org/10.17557/tjfc.1671073
13. Govind, R. (2018). Genetic character’s studies for some metric traits in linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.). International Journal on Recent Advancement in Biotechnology & Nanotechnology, 1(1), 1-10.
14. Griffing, B. (1956). Concept of general and specific combining ability in relation to diallel crossing systems. Australian Journal of Biological Sciences, 9(4), 463-493. https://doi.org/10.1071/BI9560463
15. Haridy, M., Abd El-Zaher, I., & Mahdy, A. (2021). Estimate of combining ability and correlation for some bread wheat genotypes. Assiut Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 52(4), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.21608/ajas.2021.104780.1061
16. Hossain, M. A., Al Mamun, M. A., Al Rabbi, S. H., Joya, S. D., Rana, M. M., Hera, M. H. R., Sharmin, R., & Roy, R. K. (2025). Identification of Stable Rice Genotypes Using WAASB and MTSI Indices. Turkish Journal of Field Crops, 25(2), 266-281. https://doi.org/10.17557/tjfc.1620432
17. Hoque, A., Anderson, J. V., & Rahman, M. (2024). Genomic prediction for agronomic traits in a diverse Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) germplasm collection. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 3196. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53462-w
18. Hoque, A., Shaikh, T., & Rahman, M. (2024). Inheritance of seed, flower, and anther colors and their linkage in diverse flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) genotypes. Crop Science, 64(5), 2777-2788. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21307
19. Jabbar, L. J., & Mohammed, M. I. (2023). Cluster analysis for flax genotypes by using three concentrations of NPK nano fertilizer Earth and Environmental Science. 1158. Paper presented at the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1158/6/062003
20. Jassiml, A., & Aziz, J. (2021). Estimation of the combining ability and the gene action for several of genotypes for Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.). Paper presented at the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/904/1/012025
21. Mahmood, I. A., & Al-Hamdani, Z. B. (2023). The Effect of the Combining Ability using the Second Generation According to Factorial Mating System in Durum Wheat. Paper presented at the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1262/6/062008
22. Mather, K., & Jinks, J. L. (2013). Biometrical genetics: the study of continuous variation: Springer.
23. Mohammed, M. I., Hasan, H. M., & Hamada, T. H. (2024). The Performance of Ten Flax Genotypes under Planting Distances Between Lines Linum usitatissmum L. Paper presented at the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1371/5/052018
24. Naik, B. S. (2017). Genetic analysis of seed yield north central plateau zone of Odisha in India. International Jour Key words, 9(6), 52464-52467.
25. Omer, B. A., & Mahmood, B. J. (2021). Response of two flax cultivars to chemical and nano-fertilizers and their influence on growth and yield parameters. Anbar Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 19(2), 285-305. https://doi.org/10.32649/ajas.2021.176003
26. Ramakrishnan, M., Yrjälä, K., Vinod, K. K., Sharma, A., Cho, J., Satheesh, V., & Zhou, M. (2020). Genetics and genomics of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis): Current status, future challenges, and biotechnological opportunities toward a sustainable bamboo industry. Food and Energy Security, 9(4), e229. https://doi.org/10.1002/fes3.229
27. Rauf, A., Khan, M., Jan, F., Gul, S., Afridi, K., Khan, I., Bibi, H., Khan, R.W., Khan, W., & Kumar, T. (2023). Genetic analysis for production traits in wheat using line x tester combining ability analysis. SABRAO Journal of Breeding and Genetics, 55(2), 358-366. http://doi.org/10.54910/sabrao2023.55.2.8.
28. Salam, M., Hammadi, H., & Azzam, M. (2019). Estimation of heterosis and combining ability for yield and its components of wheat. International Journal of Agricultural & Statistical Sciences, 15(1), 341-346.
29. Singh, R. K., Prasad, A., Muthamilarasan, M., Parida, S. K., & Prasad, M. (2020). Breeding and biotechnological interventions for trait improvement: status and prospects. Planta, 252, 1-18. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-020-03465-4
30. Singh, V., Kerkhi, S., Singh, S., & Tomar, P. (2019). Study on genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for grain yield and yield component traits (Linum usitatissimum L.). Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 8(2), 761-765.
31. Xu, S. (2022). Quantitative genetics: Springer.