Comparison of different breeding methods for developing superior genotypes in soybean

Seven crosses of soybean were evaluated for yield and number of pods to test the effectiveness of different methods of generation advancement viz., pedigree (PM), single pod descent (SPD), single pod descent with selection (SPDS) and bulk (BM) method. Analysis of variance for mean of all lines within a cross suggested that the breeding methods vary significantly for the traits studied in all the crosses. Bulk method was the best in most of the crosses followed by pedigree method. On the basis of overall mean, bulk method was ranked first in four crosses and second in three crosses, while pedigree method was ranked first in three crosses and second in four crosses. When yield of the highest yielding line derived by different methods within each cross was compared with the mean of check, it was observed that the highest yielding line in three out of seven crosses was from the bulk method whereas in four crosses it ranked second. Performance of the pedigree method did not differ much, as it ranked first and second in two crosses each. The extent of genetic variability present in a cross had no effect on the outcome of the results.