The crossability between Brassica carinata (BBCC, 2n=34) and Brassica rapa (AA, 2n=20), and the cytomorphology of their F1 hybrids were studied. Hybrids between these two species were only obtained when B. carinata was used as the female parent. The hybrid plants exhibited intermediate leaf and flower morphology, and were found to be free from white rust and Alternaria blight diseases. One of the four F1 plants was completely male sterile, while the remaining plants had 4.8, 8.6, and 10.9% stainable pollen, respectively. No seed was produced on hybrid plants under self pollination or in backcrosses; but seed was obtained from open pollination. The occurrence of the maximum of 11 bivalents as well as up to 44.8%) of cells with multivalent associations in the form of trivalents (0‐2) and a quadrivalent (0‐1) in the trigenomic triploid hybrid (ABC, 2n = 27) revealed intergenomic homoeology among the A, B and C genomes. Meiotic analysis of F1 hybrids indicated that traits of economic importance, such as disease resistance, could be transferred from B. carinata to B. rapa through interspecific crosses.

Interspecific hybridization is an important tool to elucidate intergenomic relationships, transfer characters across species and develop synthetic amphidiploids, and it has been widely applied for improving brassicas. The objective of the present study was to create genetic variability in Brassica through interspecific hybridization. Crosses between Brassica juncea (AABB, 2n ¼ 36), and Brassica rapa (AA, 2n ¼ 20) vars toria, yellow sarson, and brown sarson were attempted, and the hybrid derivatives were advanced to the F 4 generation. Hybrids were obtained from the crosses B. juncea · toria and B. juncea · yellow sarson. The F 1 plants were vigorous and intermediate to the parents in many morphological traits. The meiotic study of AAB hybrids showed 10 II + 8 I in the majority (71.8%) of cells analysed. A maximum of 12 and a minimum of seven bivalents were also observed in a few cells. The occurrence of multivalent associations (trivalents to pentavalents) at diakinesis/metaphase I and a bridgefragment configuration at anaphase I were attributed to homoeology between A and B genomes. A high percentage of plants resembling B. juncea was observed in the F 2 generation. Transgressive segregation in both directions was found for plant height, primary branches, main raceme length, siliquae on main raceme, siliqua intensity, seeds per siliqua and seed yield. There were significant differences for the 14 characters in the F 4 derivatives. Moderate to high estimates of phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, broad-sense heritability, and expected genetic advance were found for seed yield, 1000-seed weight, siliquae per plant, seeds per siliqua and days to flowering. Intergenomic recombination, reflected as wide variation in the hybrid progenies, permitted the selection of some useful derivatives.

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The F1 and F2 progenies of a ten-parent diallel cross (excluding reciprocals) were analysed for the combining ability of quantitative traits in six-rowed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). significant differences were indicated between the parents, F1s and F2s for all the characters studied. The gca and sca components of variance were significant for all the traits. Both additive and non-additive gene effects were involved in the genetic control of the characters; however, non-additive gene effects were observed to be predominant. Among the parents RD 2035, RD 2052, RD 2503 and BL 2 were the best general combiners for grain yield and average to high combiners for other important traits.The parents RD 2552 and RD 387 were the best general combiners for dwarfness. The best specific crosses for grain yield were RD 2503 × RD 2585,RD 2035 × RD 2052, RD 2035 × BL 2, RD 2052 × BL 2, RD 2508 × RD 2552, RD 2552 × RD 2585 and Rd 2052 × RD 2552 in both the F1 and F2 generations. These crosses were higher yielders and in most of the crosses one of the parents involved was a good combiner, indicating that such combinations can be expected to produce desirable transgressive segregants. All the best crosses for grain yield also showed average to high sca effects for most of the yield components. Most of the specific crosses for grain yield involved high × average, average × average and average × poor general combiners. To ensure a further increase in grain yield, the combination of desirable yield components is advocated. The inclusion of F1 hybrids showing high sca, and having parents with good gca, in multiple crosses, bi-parental mating or diallel selective mating could prove a worthwhile approach for further amelioration of grain yield in six-rowed barley.