MVSc

A 3 x 3 diallel cross was made using IWP, IWN and F strains of White Leghorn at the All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Poultry for Eggs, Thrissur centre. Age at first egg in days, body weight at 20 and 40 weeks of age in grammes, egg number up to 280 days of age and egg weight (g) at 38 weeks of age were recorded for all the nine genetic groups.

Strain F was found to be superior in performance among the purebreads in terms of the traits considered in the study.

The over all merit of F strain, as sire line, was found to be good, yielding birds in cross combinations with low age at maturity, moderate body weight and egg weight satisfactory egg yield.

IWP strain appeared to perform well as a dam line and crosses produced using IWP strain as a dam line were heavy in body weight and egg weight matured early and also produced quality good number of eggs. F strain when used as a female line might be more economical as they produced lighter hybrids capable of producing good number of eggs and maturing early. However, the impact on egg weight had to be critically assessed.

Beneficial heterosis of significance was not generated up on crossing. However a positive heterosis was obtained when F and IWP strains were crossed but it did not reach a level of significance. IWN x IWP was also found to be a cross with good potential and as such both F x IWP and IWN x IWP crosses may exposed for extensive field testing while efforts to improve the production potential in these strains may be continued by appropriate intra-population selection method.