Derivation of superior F5 lines from heterotic hybrids in pea

Summary F₅ seeds from six highly heterotic F₁ hybrids were produced to determine whether the superior performance of F1 hyrids could be fixed in pure-line derivatives of pea (Pisum sativum L.). For each cross, 24–31 F₅ lines derived from single seed descent were compared with F₁ hybrids and their parents in two environments. The F₁ hybrids out-yielded the best parent by up to 11%. All crosses produced F₅ lines which were as high in yield as the F₁ hybrids indicating that pure-line derivatives equivalent in yield to the heterotic F₁ hybrid could be developed by conventional breeding. Heterosis of the F₁ hybrids over the best commercial cultivar was thus a useful indicator of the future performance of the pure-line derivatives. These results indicate that overdominance was not an important component of heterosis in peas.     

Barley mutant heterosis and fixation of'F1-performance'in doubled haploid lines

The phenomenon of mutant heterosis was studied in barley using F₁ hybrids developed from crosses involving two mutants derived from the same parent variety (067AR× 032AR), or from crosses of mutants with their parent varieties (Diva × 228DV; 437MG × Mg 4170). The agronomic performance (plant height, tillers per plant, kernel number and weight per plant) of F₁ hybrids was evaluated in relation to the corresponding parent variety used for mutant development. Wide-space sowing (0.O6 m²/plant) was applied to allow the full expression of hybrid vigour. The hybrids significantly exceeded their parent varieties in various yield parameters in each year of the experiment, Depending on the cross, the level of heterosis ranged from 39.45% to 82.1% for kernel number and from 44.45% to 91.2% for kernel weight, as an average of observations over three years. The increased yield of hybrids was accompanied by an increase in spikes/plant, without significant changes, in most cases, in yield components such as kernels/spike and 1000 kernel weight. The height of F₁ plants remained similar to the corresponding parent variety. Doubled haploicls (DH) were developed through anther culture from three F₁ hybrids to determine whether the heterotic effect could be fixed, even partly, in homozygous lines. Twenty-eight, 42 and 68 DH lines per cross were produced, and evaluated in the field, space-planted at 0.06 m²/plant, together with hybrids and parent varieties. The best-performing DH lines were evaluated again the following season in a conventional field trial. We were able to select 1.5 -14.3% of‘F₁,-performing’DH lines per hetorotic cross combination, which, in two years of studies, reached the yield of heterotic hybrids and significantly out-yielded the parent variety in plot. The yield potential of DH lines was better expressed under a wide sowing density, but even under normal growing conditions, the yield of the best selected DH lines surpassed their corresponding parent varieties by 17.77ndash;30.1%.     

Cytoplasmic male sterile and doubled haploid lines with desirable combining ability enhances the concentration of important antioxidant attributes in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica oleracea</Emphasis>

The Brassica vegetable crops are rich source of important antioxidant compounds having anticancer and health promoting properties. Development of F₁ hybrids with better nutritional traits is one of the main breeding objectives in different vegetable crops. Our study is the first report of determining heterotic combinations utilizing cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) and doubled haploid (DH) inbred lines for antioxidant compounds in snowball cauliflower. Twenty genetically diverse Ogura CMS lines of cauliflower and six DH male fertile inbred lines were crossed to develop 120 F₁ hybrids in line?×?tester mating design. The resulting 120 test cross progenies along with 26 parents and 4 standard checks were evaluated in 10?×?15 alpha lattice design with three replications during next cropping season. The CMS lines Ogu33-1A, Ogu122-5A and Ogu119-1A were good general combiner and CMS line Ogu118-6A was poor general combiner for majority of traits. Most of the heterotic hybrids were associated with high positive SCA effects. The proportions of σ²A/D and \(\upsigma^{2}_{\text{gca}} /\upsigma^{2}_{\text{sca}}\) ratios were less than unity in all the cases indicating preponderance of non-additive gene action in the genetic control of all the traits. Highest number of heterotic hybrids with SCA effects in desired positive direction was recorded for ascorbic acid content and phenolic content followed by total carotenoid content. The F₁ hybrids with better combining ability and better per se performance could be useful in accumulation of favourable allele for higher concentration of important anti-oxidant compounds.     

Identification of superior parents and hybrids for improving canola production under optimum and late sowing conditions

Major advancement in canola breeding depends on heterotic hybrids that require high general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) inbred lines. In order to estimate heritability, gene action type, GCA, SCA and heterosis and to identify superior hybrids with wider adaptation to cold, one hundred canola hybrids were produced by crossing 10 lines and 10 testers in a Line?×?Tester mating design. The F₁ and F₂ generations were sown in α-lattice design in 2012 and 2013 growing seasons under optimum (early October) and late sowing (early November) conditions to be evaluated for days to flowering, days to physiological maturity, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, thousand seed weight, seed yield and leaf electrical conductivity. The combined analysis indicated sufficient genetic diversity in the population and significant difference between two sowing date. The Line?×?Tester analysis presented significant GCA and SCA effects for all studied traits across optimum and late sowing conditions. The main gene action type was found to be non-additive, especially incomplete dominance and over-dominance in both conditions. Narrow-sense heritability ranged from low to moderate whereas broad-sense heritability was recorded more than 60% for all of the studied traits in both generations and conditions. The average heterosis in F₂ population for all studied traits was lower than that in F₁ representing this fact that heterosis is generally related to the heterozygosity at the population level and poorly correlated with heterozygosity at the individual level.     

Application of isozyme electrophoresis for purity testing and cultivar identification of F1 hybrids of Brassica oleracea

Summary Six isozyme genes were analyzed in seed samples of 65 commercial F₁ hybrids of four horticultural groups of Brassica oleracea (cabbage, Brussels sprouts, sprouting broccoli and cauliflower). Results obtained from electrophoretic assays led to the following conclusions: 1) the electrophoretic test of F₁ hybrid purity was possible in 59 (91%) of the hybrids analyzed, since their inbred parents were apparently fixed each for a different allele in at least on of the loci studied; 2) forty-eight (74%) of the hybrids were individually distinguished by their isozyme phenotype; 3) high levels of segregation in the inbred parents were inferred from the analysis of a sample of seeds of each hybrid.     

Heterosis for yield and other agronomic traits of winter triticale F1 and F2 hybrids

Triticale is generally treated as a self‐pollinating crop and line breeding is practised. Hybrid breeding has been discussed for some time, but there is little information for winter triticale. This study investigated heterosis for eight agronomic traits in F₁ and F₂ hybrids grown together with their parents as drilled plots in three environments. On average, grain yield heterosis was 12.5 dt/ha (a relative 10.5%) compared with the mid‐parent value for F₁ hybrids, and 6.2 dt/ha (5.0%) for F₂ hybrids and withawide range of 4.4–17.1 dt/ha for F₁ hybrids. A positive contribution to the heterosis of yield was made by kernels/spike and 1000‐kernel weight, whereas spikes/m² showed negative heterosis. Hybrid plants in F₁ and F₂ were taller than mid‐parents (8.3 cm and 5.3 cm, respectively), with a tendency to earlier heading. The negative heterosis for falling number in F₁ and F₂ hybrids could be a problem for commercial production of triticale hybrids. By selecting parents for combining ability and the identification of heterotic patterns, grain yield heterosis of 20% appears feasible.     

Ovule dichotomy per locule of the trilocular pistil in cassava,Manihot esculenta: a useful abnormality for increased seed production?

Histologically, the cassava pistil is trilocular with a single ovule in each locule producing a maximum of three seeds in nature. Heat stress (35°/45°C, night/day temperatures), as a physical treatment was attempted to induce useful reproductive and vegetative traits in 10 F₁ hybrids derived from ‘OMR 36‐41’and ‘OMR 36‐42’crosses, and two Asian cassava cultivars,‘Rayong 60’and ‘Rayong 1′, under greenhouse and field conditions. Cytoembryological examination of the repro‐ ductive organs revealed morpho‐structural features of normal pistil in all clones except ‘Rayong 1’which exhibited reproductive variations under greenhouse culture. Genetically, an important variation was ovule dichotomy per locule of the trilocular pistil so that each pistil contained six instead of the usual three ovules and lacked any outer integument. These ovules possessed functional embryo sacs with varying nuclear number. A pair of the dichotomous ovules possessed two embryo sacs of apparent different megaspore mother cells. Vegetatively, F₁ hybrids were dwarf (0.50m) in their phenotype and flowered 1 month earlier than the 1.5‐2.0m tall cultivars under greenhouse conditions.     

Improvement in hydroxy fatty acid seed oil content and other traits from interspecific hybrids of three Lesquerella species: Lesquerella fendleri , L. pallida, and L. lindheimeri

Interspecific hybridization offers potential to improve the hydroxy fatty acid (HFA) content of lesquerella. Lesquerella fendleri is currently being developed for cultivation as a potential new industrial oilseed crop because of its seed productivity. However, it has lower HFA content compared to L. pallida and L. lindheimeri. The objectives of this research were to improve the HFA oil content of L. fenderi through interspecific hybridization and to characterize hybrids and successive generations for seed oil fatty acid profile, fertility, seed set and other morphological traits. In this work, three species were successfully hybridized, self-pollinated, and backcrossed. Ovule culture was used in some cases to produce progeny where interspecific hybrids did not produce viable embryos. The traits measured were petal length, ovules per silique, seeds per silique, and weight of 1000 seed. Patterns of leaf trichomes were used to distinguish between parents and hybrids. Seed per silique indicated that autofertility occurred in L. pallida but not in the other two species. HFA oil content of L. fendleri seed were 50.5% compared to 80 and 84% for L. pallida and L. lindheimeri, respectively. The HFA oil content of the hybrids ranged from 57 to 70% in A₂ and A₃ generations, and the range of values depended on the parents used in the crosses. These measurements will help predict the value of different interspecific crosses for breeding. Segregation for various yield related traits should allow selection for favorable improvements in the HFA trait and in seed yield.     

Heterosis performance of yield and fibre quality in F1 and F2 hybrids in upland cotton

Because of the difficulty of producing F₁ hybrid seeds by hand emasculation and pollination, wide use of heterosis in cotton production has been limited in China. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of F₂ hybrids for yield and fibre quality. A half diallel involving eight parents and their F₁ and F₂ hybrids was grown in replicated studies at Linqing and Nanjing in 1999 and Nanjing in 2000. Yield and fibre quality was determined for all 64 entries. Fibre quality was also determined for parents and F₁s, but only for Zhongmiansuo 28 (ZMS28), Xiangzamian 2 (XZM2) and Wanmian 13 (WM13) F₂s. These three F₂ hybrids are extensively planted in China and provide experimental controls with which to compare the performance of new hybrids. Average yield heterosis for F₁s and F₂s was 15.9 and 9.2%, respectively. Inbreeding depression for yield varied but some F₂s greatly out‐yielded the best variety. Average F₁ heterosis was 6.7, 6.2 and 2.9%, respectively for number of bolls per unit area, boll weight, and lint percentage. The average F₂ heterosis for the same traits was 4.4, 3.3 and 1.6%, respectively. F₁ heterosis for fibre traits was low. In general, parental average was a good indicator of the yield and fibre quality of F₁ hybrids. These encouraging results suggest there is sufficient heterosis for yield to use F₂s in China.     

Aseptic culture of gynophores to obtain peanut intersectional hybrids

Summary Cross-incompatibility between cultivated peanuts and their wild relatives outside the section Arachis has impeded the utilization of many species possessing high resistances or good qualities. Despite the great efforts made to culture immature ovules or embryos, few hybrid offspring have been obtained. In this study, gynophores from Arachis hypogaea L. pollinated with A. glabrata Benth. were cultured and F₁ hybrids seeds were harvested, and F₂ and F₃ generations produced. The characters of F₂ generation exhibited a wide range of segregation. Leaf peroxidase isozyme PAGE analysis revealed that the hybrids were quite different from their parents in relation to band number, width and isozyme activity. The zymograms of the hybrids and their parents were partially alike. This verified the authenticity of the hybrids.     

Fertility improvement in tetraploid pearl millet

Summary Autotetraploid (2n=4x=28) pearl millet inbred lines, Tift 23BE and Tift 239DB, have been developed for use in crosses with other polyploid Pennisetum species. Each line set less than 1% and 3% selfed and open-pollinated seed, respectively. Seed germination was usually less than 17%. First generation (F₁) hybrids between the two inbreds set up to 61% seed while up to 40% of the seed from hybrids germinated.Seed weight per inflorescence for two planting dates averaged 0.32 g and 3.06 g for the two inbreds and the second generation F₂ progeny, respectively. One hundred seed weight was also significantly higher (0.78 g vs 0.48 g) in the F₂ progeny, probably due better endosperm development. Chromosome behavior and pollen stainability were similar in the inbred parents and hybrids. However, the hybrids shed more pollen than the inbred parents.Heterosis was evident in the F₁ hybrids and F₂ progeny which showed significant increases in plant height, leaf length, leaf width, and inflorescence length in addition to fertility improvement.     

Interspecific hybridization of Brassica napus and B. juncea through ovary,ovule and embryo culture

Summary Employing in vitro culture of ovaries, ovules and embryos, interspecific hybrids have been obtained amongst two important oilseed crops, Brassica napus x B. juncea and their reciprocal. The test-tube hybrid plants have been transferred to the field, and reared to maturity. The F₁ seeds obtained from the hybrid ovaries showed normal germination, and the hybrid plants exhibited a range of variation of characters.     

Variation for aphid resistance and insecticidal acyl sugar expression among and within Lycopersicon pennellii-derived inbred backcross lines of tomato and their F1 progeny

Five inbred backcross lines (IBL) were selected for higher relative expression of insecticidal acyl sugars (rank average) from an inbred backcross population derived from the cross Lycopersicon esculentum cultivar ‘Peto 84’×Lycopersicon pennellii accession LA716. These five BC₂S₅ IBLs were crossed in a partial diallel design (Method II), and their self and F₁ progeny and three control cultivars were tested at two California field locations in 1996. Counts of potato aphids, Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas, on leaves, as a measure of plant infestation, revealed significant general combining ability (GCA) for lower aphid numbers with IBL44 and IBL59; the F₁ hybrid IBL44 × IBL59 had significantly fewer aphids per leaflet than the susceptible cultivar ‘Alta’. GCA for acyl sugars was associated with IBL59 only. Of all the IBL and IBL × IBL F₁ hybrids, only IBL59 produced significant levels of acyl sugars. Significant within IBL59 variation for acyl sugars was observed, but not for aphid resistance. Our results suggest that factors other than acyl sugars contributed to L. pennellii-derived aphid resistance in IBL × IBL F₁ hybrids and IBL that do not produce significant amounts of acyl sugars. IBL59 and IBL44 may be useful for breeding for aphid resistance in cultivated tomato.     

Interspecific hybridization inBrassica juncea × Brassica hirta using embryo rescue

Summary Interspecific hybrids have been obtained in an otherwise incompatible cross betweenBrassica juncea × Brassica hirta through the in vitro culture of hybrid ovules and ovaries. The best response was observed from ovules and ovaries cultured 10–15 and 5–7 days after pollination respectively on a basal medium supplemented with indoleacetic acid, kinetin and casein hydrolysate. In some cases the basal cut end of the ovaries proliferated to form callus and shoots. The in vitro-derived hybrid seeds varied in their colour, size and shape, and the F₁ plants in the field showed a large diversity in their morphological traits. The hybrids were sterile, and had an intermediate number of chromosomes (2n=30).     

The use of seed acid phosphatases in the determination of the purity of F1 hybrid brussels sprout seed

Summary Starch gel electrophoresis of single seeds of five different F₁ hybrids of Brussels sprouts showed that they possessed three cathodal acid phosphatases. By comparison with cathodal acid phosphatases present in their inbred parents these have been interpreted as the two parental types plus a hybrid enzyme. All of the parental material could be classified into two groups depending upon whether or not their cathodal acid phosphatase was fast or slow moving. It was shown that these acid phosphatases are suitable for the determination of sibs in F₁ hybrid sprout seed provided that one of the parents possesses the slow moving cathodal acid phosphatase and the other the fast moving one. A survey of 35 different F₁ hybrids showed that 18 could be analysed for sibs using this method, those which could not were assumed to have had parents who possessed cathodal acid phosphatases of the same mobilities.     

Unreduced gamete in interspecific hybrids in the Festuca/Lolium complex

Self-sterile interspecific hybrids between diploid Lolium perenne and either Festuca arundinacea or F. gigantea (both hexaploids) set some seeds when subjected to a heavy pollen cloud from the amphiploids derived from the hybrids. All the progeny were octoploid and were formed from the fertilization of unreduced gametes in the F₁ hybrid by amphiploid pollen. The significance of the results in relation to breeding efforts within the Lolium/Festuca complex is discussed.     

Genetic and agronomic analyses of red rice-Clearfield hybrids and their progeny produced from natural and controlled crosses

Clearfield rice technology is a popular method for controlling noxious red rice weeds (Oryza sativa L.) in commercial rice fields in the southern U.S. Previous research has detected red rice-Clearfield variety F₁ hybrids at low rates in Louisiana and Arkansas. The first research objective was to determine genetic control of imazethapyr resistance in F₁ hybrids and F₂ populations derived from natural and controlled hybridizations of red rice and Clearfield rice. The second objective was to characterize and compare agronomic performance of the hybrids and their progeny with Clearfield varieties. Genetic analysis showed that imazethapyr resistance was dominant in all tested F₁ hybrids with single and two-gene inheritance observed across composite F₂ populations. F₁ hybrids exhibited high levels of variation for plant height, heading date, and seven reproductive traits. Heterosis was observed in the hybrids versus Clearfield varieties for plant height, heading date, seed-bearing tillers, panicle length, and spikelets/panicle. While seed production of the F₁ hybrids was generally inferior to that of the commercial varieties, one red rice/CL121 hybrid produced greater seeds/panicle than the CL121 commercial parent. Extensive variation was observed for all measured traits in the F₂ populations derived from either natural or controlled crosses. Results from this study indicate that red rice/Clearfield F₁ hybrids normally exhibit low reproductive seed capacity, but a small proportion of the subsequent F₂ progeny can produce high fecundity levels. Effective stewardship practices are therefore warranted to reduce the occurrence of such hybrids and their offspring to ensure continued success of the Clearfield technology. Approved for publication by the Director of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station as manu number 2008-306-1392.     

Autofertility and Bee Visitation in Winter and Spring Genotypes of Faba Beans (Vicia faba L.)

Differences in the expression of autofertility and in the evidence of attractiveness to bees were investigated in both autumn-sown and spring-sown faba beans. All six winter stocks and one spring stock expressed very little autofertility, with averages of only 10% of flowers and 7% of ovules fertilized when undisturbed. Three other spring stocks, including a closed-flower population, were moderately autofertile, with 22% of flowers and 17% of ovules fertilized when undisturbed. The remaining two spring stocks, both English cultivars, expressed good autofertility, with 50% of undisturbed flowers and 44% of ovules fertilized. Current levels of autofertility in the winter and closed-flower stocks were inadequate to allow the development of a desirable distribution of pods without substantial bee visitation. If levels of autofertility could be raised simply by selection within populations, then they should have been much higher in these stocks. Therefore, autofertile parents will probably have to be included in programmes for breeding cultivars with improved levels of auto fertility. The closed-flower population received significantly less bee visitation than the other stocks in the spring trial. No variation in attractiveness to bees was found among the open-flowered spring stocks, nor among the winter stocks.     

Genetic diversity of Tainan-white maize inbred lines and prediction of single cross hybrid performance using RAPD markers

To evaluate the genetic diversity of 13 maize inbred lines, and to determine the correlation between genetic distance and single cross hybrid performance, we employed the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD)- a PCR-based technique. Six of these lines came from the Taichung population, and others derived from seven different sites. Forty different primers were used to give a total of 646 reproducible amplification products, 547 (84.7%) of them being polymorphic. Genetic divergence was determined using Jaccard's similarity coefficient, and a final dendrogram was constructed by UPGMA (unweighted pair-group method with arithmetical averages) cluster analysis in the CLUSTER procedure of the SAS system. The RAPD analysis was a useful tool in determining the extent of genetic diversity among Tainan-white maize inbred lines in the present case. Cluster analysis showed that the 13 inbred lines could be classified into distinct heterotic groups. There was no significant linear regression of grain dry weight heterosis value and mean performance of hybrids on genetic distance. And their coefficients of determination(R²) are small, so that predictive value is limited. The present results showed that the Jaccard's similarity coefficients based on RAPD data cannot be used to precisely predict the F₁ hybrids yield performance and heterosis value. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Hybrid performance and AFLP- based genetic similarity in faba bean

Successful prediction of heterosis and performance of F₁-hybrids from the genetic similarity of their parents based on molecular markers has been reported in several crops and can be very helpful in hybrid breeding. The relationship between genetic similarities based on amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) of 18 European faba bean lines and their hybrid performance and heterosis was investigated. Parental lines, 62 F₁-hybrids and their F₂-progenies were evaluated in field trials in four environments in Germany for seed yield, 1,000-seed weight and plant height. Results clearly demonstrated a stable superiority of the hybrids over their inbred parents and elite check cultivars, and showed a marked and varying amount of heterosis. Parental seed yield and F₂-hybrid yield were promising as predictors for F₁-hybrids. AFLP analysis of the 18 inbred lines using 26 EcoRI/MseI primer combinations resulted in 1202 polymorphic fragments. Cluster analysis based on genetic similarity estimates unambiguously identified pedigree-related inbred lines. No clear separation of the 18 inbred lines into subgroups was detected. Correlation coefficients between genetic similarity estimates and either heterosis or F₁-hybrid performance were small and not useful. Also correlations between specific genetic similarity and specific combining ability were too small for all traits to be of predictive value. Results showed that AFLP-based genetic similarities are not useful to predict the performance of hybrids or heterosis within the elite European faba bean gene pool.