Exploring intra-allelic and inter-allelic gene interactions influencing seed yield and its components in inter-varietal crosses of Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek)

Abstract

Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) is a versatile legume widely cultivated for its nutritional value and adaptability. Meeting the increasing global demand for nutritious food requires the development of high-yielding varieties. Therefore, understanding the inheritance of yield and component traits is crucial for defining effective breeding strategies. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the genetic effects and interactions governing inheritance through generation mean analysis. The four crosses viz., IPM409-4×VGG18-002, IPM409-4×WGG42, COGG13-39×VGG16-058 and COGG13-39×VGG18-002 and their five generations (P1, P2, F1, F2, and F3) were evaluated for nine yield and yield component traits during 2023 summer season. The significance of additive, dominance, and epistatic components viz.,additive×additive [i] and dominance×dominance [l] of each trait was found to be different among all the crosses. Mungbean is a self-pollinated crop, so only fixable gene effects can be exploited for trait improvement. In the IPM409-4×VGG18-002 cross, all the traits exhibited additive or additive × additive gene action except for plant height and seed yield per plant (dominance). The scaling test was significant in IPM409-4×WGG42 cross for all the traits, except for the number of pods per cluster. Except for the number of branches per plant in which the dominance effect was evident, additive or additive×additive gene effects were observed for the other traits.  In COGG13-39×VGG16-058 and COGG13-39×VGG18-002 crosses, all the yield traits recorded fixable (additive and additive×additive) gene effects except for number of pods per plant in COGG13-39×VGG18-002. Considering the results of all four crosses, gene actions that exhibit consistency across crosses revealed that epistatic interaction (additive×additive) significantly influenced the expression of various mung bean traits. Therefore, the later generation selection of short-duration segregants with high yield, bold seeds, and resistance to yellow mosaic disease from the above populations can be carried out to develop commercially valuable mung bean varieties.