EVALUATION OF TEST CROSSES A WAY FORWARD TOWARDS THE IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL RESTORERS & MAINTAINERS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RICE HYBRIDS

Identification of desirable maintainers and potential restorers in a hybrid rice breeding program is the dire need for development hybrids. Seventeen (17) cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines (15 imported from IRRI 02 locally developed by RRI, KSK) were crossed with one hundred sixty (160) testers to identify their genetic nature behave as restorer or maintainer year 2017 2018. A total test crosses subjected pollen spikelet fertility when CMS lines. Most show differential fertility/sterility responses From these evaluated thirty-three (33) thirty-four (34) (16 Basmati 18 non-basmati lines) recognized further use develop Four basmati twenty-nine coarse identified tested genotypes. genotypes found be partial (PR) (PM). Moreover, four promising heterotic combinations/potential also identified. Six combinations had more than 80% fertility. Potential present exploration could used high-yielding hybrids adaptable diversified climatic conditions Punjab, Pakistan.