Diallel analysis of sugar composition of 10 vegetable soybean lines

Few studies have evaluated vegetable soybean for sugar content at the green pod stage. Information on combining ability and type of gene action that governs inheritance of seed traits can help breeders to select suitable parents and devise an appropriate breeding strategy. Ten vegetable soybean accessions were crossed in a complete diallel mating design. Parent lines and F₂ and F₃ progenies were evaluated for two nutritional components. In this study, both general and specific combining ability and reciprocal effects were significant for sucrose and total sugar. Cultivars 'Kanrich', 'Pella', 'Verde' and V81-1603 had good general combining ability for high sucrose. In general, high sucrose content was observed in progeny of the early maturity group genotypes 'Kanrich', 'Pella' and 'Verde'. The best combiners for high total sugar content were 'Verde', V81-1603 and PI 399055. These genotypes could serve as genetic sources in a vegetable soybean breeding programme.