Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Agriculture - Department of Agronomy

The field experiments of the present study were carried out at Giza and Sids Research Station, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Egypt during 2011/2012, 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 seasons. Six diverse faba bean (Vicia faba L.) varieties were used in a diallel mating design including reciprocals. In 2011/2012season all possible crosses of diallel including reciprocals among the six faba bean parents were made after hand emasculation and pollination, under insect free cages. In 2012/2013 season, hybrid seeds and the six faba bean parents were sown under the insect free cage at Giza Research Station to produce F2 seeds and re-hybridization was made to increase F₁ seeds.In 2013/2014season, parents, F₁'s and F₂'s were evaluated under both natural heavy Orobanche infested soils at Giza and under free fields at Giza and Sids in randomized complete block design with 3 replicates. Results showed significant differences among parents, F₁'s and F₂'s for all studied traits and these differences may be mainly due to the genetic diversity of the parents. The parents and their crosses would be interesting and prospective for improving seed yield and its components in faba bean. Based on the two estimates of heterotic effects (over mid and better parent), 6, 10,14, 28, 27, 25 and 8 crosses exhibited significantly positive heterotic effects for days to flowering, plant height, number of branches/plant, number of pods/plant, number of seeds/plant, seed yield/plant and 100-seed weight, respectively. The parental genotype Misr3 was a good general combiner for days to flowering and number of pods/plant in F₁, and for number of seeds/plant and seed yield/plant in F₁ and F₂ generations

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