Combining ability analysis was carried out for grain yield, its components and some of the quality characters in a 9 x 9 diallel cross (excluding reciprocals). Both general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) variances were highly significant for all the characters indicating the importance of both additive and non-additive gene actions. However, preponderance of additive gene action was recorded for the traits viz., plant height, days to 50% flowering, dry matter, net assimilation rate, days to maturity, harvest index, 100 grain weight and grain length, while both additive and non-additive gene effects were almost equally important for grain yield plant^-1, biological yield plant^-1, leaf area index and grain length: breadth ratio. Preponderance of non-additive gene action was recorded for length of panicle and grain length. Parents

HPR2047, VL93-3613 and JD8 were good general combiners for grain yield and other related characters. Parents HPR1164 and JD8 were good combiners for shorter plant height and earliness. These crosses involving the above mentioned parents were promising as revealed by their SCA effects. The cross combinations HPR2047xVL93-3613, HPR1164xIR57893-08, VL91-1754xJD8, VL93-3613xJD8 and VL91-1754xVL93-3613 showed significant positive specific effects for grain yield plant^-1 and some associated characters and were expected to produce transgressive segregants. Since both additive and non additive gene effects played important role in the inheritance of yield and its components, their simultaneous exploitation through adoption of biparental approach in early generation mating is advocated.