COMPARISON OF HALF-SIB AND FULL-SIB PROGENY SELECTION METHODS IN INDIAN MUSTARD (Brassica juncea L.) UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS

An experiment was carried out to compare half-sib and full-sib progeny selection methods in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) under rainfed conditions from 2006-07 to 2009-10 for 14 morpho-physiological characters. Full-sib and half-sib progenies were developed from different populations. The values of genetic parameters were higher in full-sibs compared to half-sibs for a greater number of traits. Estimates of genetic advance (GA expressed as per cent of mean) showed that full-sib progenies had higher GA for most of the traits, except for siliquae /plant. In half-sib progenies, seed yield/plant showed positive and significant correlation only with plant height (0.252) and primary branches per plant, where as in full-sib progenies, seed yield/plant showed positive and significant correlation with plant height (0.256*), seeds/siliqua (0.258*), 1000-seed weight (0.335**), oil content (0.311**), protein content (0.286*), SPAD values at flowering (0.319**), seed filling stage (0.335**) and transpiration at flowering (0.216*) stage. Full-sib progeny selection yielded significantly more superior progenies (18%) than did half-sib progeny selection (7.7%).