To develop rosette resistant, early maturing and high yielding varieties of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L) three males (RMP12, ICGV-SM88709 and ICGV-SM 88710) and eight females (ICGV87281, ICGV87018, ICGV86124, ICGV86024, ICGV86028, ICGV86063 and ICGV-SM 87003) were crossed in a factorial mating design. F2 and F3 generations were evaluated in the rosette and rosette free environments to determine the combining ability of the parents for rosette resistance, early maturity and other agronomic traits. General combining ability (GCA) estimates among males and females were highly significant for all traits, except haulm yield and shelling percentage. Specific combining ability (SCA) estimates were significant for all traits in the F2 generation except pod yield. However, in F3 generation SCA estimates were significant for number of days to 50% flowering, shelling percent and rosette resistance. The magnitude of GCA was much greater than SCA for all the traits in both generations indicating that additive genetic variance was more important than non additive genetic variance. Among the male parents, RMP 12 had the highest GCA for shelling percentage and 100-seed weight. IGCV-SM 88709 showed highest GCA for pod yield, while ICGV-SM 88710 was the best combiner for haulm yield, early maturity, and rosette resistance. Among the females ICGV87018 had the highest GCA for pod yield and haulm yield. ICGV 86024 was the best general combiner for early maturity, while ICGV 86047 was the best general combiner for rosette resistance.

Keywords: General and specific, combining ability, rosette resistant, earliness, yield groundnut.