Identification of Superior Recombinant Inbred Lines for Seed Yield and Related Traits in Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) from a Population Derived from Rohini x PBR-97

In the present study, a set of 230 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed through a cross between high yielding commercially released Indian mustard cultivars Rohini and PBR-97. These RILs were evaluated in F-6:7 generation during the rabi season of 2012-2013 for quantitative and qualitative traits. High genetic advance in conjunction with high heritability for seed yield/plant (43.81, 80.89%), biological yield (39.34, 88.77%), fruiting zone length (9.36, 70.21%), fibre (28.35, 72.63%) and glucosinolates content (68.75, 97.56%) indicated the effectiveness of selection for these traits. Plant height (0.207), number of seeds/siliqua (0.169), biological yield (0.615) and 1000-seed weight (0.160) were positively associated with seed yield. On the basis of seed yield/plant, 25 RILs were identified as highly promising and some of these lines may be considered for multi-location testing for varietal release or used as parents for breeding high yielding Indian mustard varieties. Moreover, the recombinant inbred population developed in the study may be used for molecular dissection of yield and yield related traits in Indian mustard.