Genetic analysis of F₂ and transgressive segregants for seed yield in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

The wide range of F₂ variability for seed yield, number of capitula per plant and number of seeds per capitulum in 24 crosses of line x tester set indicated potential of the crosses to throw large number of variable segregants. Maximum number of positive transgressive segregants was found in TSF-1 x SFS 9920, TSF-1 x SSF 658, TSF-2 x ASD-07-10, Sagarmutyalu x SFS 9920and Manjira x SSF 698 crosses. F₁per se performance, relative heterosis, D² and GCA effects of parents were found to be good indicators for predicting the phenotypic variance and genetic advance for seed yield in F₂. Average GCA effects of parents had moderate degree of influence on the mean of 10% top yielding plants in F₂.