Heterosis and combining ability for grain yield and other agronomic traits in winter triticale

Hybrid breeding is a widely discussed alternative for triticale. Heterosis as well as general (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects were estimated for eight agronomic traits. The experiment comprised 24 F₁ hybrids, produced by a chemical hybridizing agent, together with their six female and four male parents, grown in drilled plots in two locations. In comparison with the mid‐parent values, hybrids averaged a 6.4 dt/ha (10.1%) higher grain yield, 8.4% more kernels per spike, a 6.8% higher 1000‐kernel weight, 9.7% lower falling number (FN) and 4.4% greater plant height. SCA effects for grain yield were significant and ranged from 4.5 to 6.9 dt/ha for grain yield. Together with GCA x location interactions, they explained most of the variation. For 1000‐kernel weight, GCA effects were predominant. SCA and interactions with location accounted for most of the variation in FN, whereas interactions were negligible for plant height. Correlations between mid‐parent and hybrid performance and between GCA and per se performance of parents were tight for all traits except grain yield, which allows for pre‐selection of parental lines. Although the amount of heterosis in triticale at present is closer to wheat than to rye, by selecting parents for combining ability and identifying heterotic patterns, grain yield heterosis of up to 20% appears sufficiently encouraging to embark on hybrid breeding.     

基于通路分析剖析水稻农艺性状配合力和杂种优势

按照NCII遗传交配设计构建测交群体,考察包括产量性状在内的9个农艺性状,对水稻农艺性状表型、配合力和杂种优势进行通路分析,以期为水稻品种的培育和改良提供理论基础。结果表明,主穗实粒数与生物调控、千粒重与半胱氨酸和蛋氨酸代谢、主穗长与SNARE相关囊泡运动、主穗一/二次枝梗与依赖DNA的转录、株高与大分子代谢过程、主穗颖花数与花粉识别、有效穗数与水解酶活性、单株实粒重与嘌呤核苷结合等通路相关。为获得优良性状,高配合力,杂种优势可以从某一性状的相关通路进行研究,找到调控该通路的相关基因,以期为改良水稻一般配合力和获得杂种优势提供一定帮助。     

Effects of cytoplasm on heterosis and combining ability for agronomic traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Summary Effect of sterilizing (WA) cytoplasm on heterosis and combining ability for days to flowering, plant height and grain yield in rice was studied in 70 crosses and their reciprocals produced by 10 cytoplasmic male sterile (A), their maintainer (B) and seven restorer (R) lines following line x tester design. The materials consisting of 140 hybrids (70 A/R and their reciprocal 70 R/B) plus 17 parental lines (10 B + 7 R) were evaluated under six environments, created by growing in three fields with different fertilizer doses (0, 60, 120 kg N/ha) and 2 seasons (dry and wet) during 1986 at IRRI farm. Reciprocal cross effect (A/R vs R/B) were highly significant for all the three traits. Interaction of reciprocal cross effects with environments were also highly significant for yield and days to flowering. Cytoplasmic effect for yield, days to flowering and plant height were estimated by comparing A/R and R/B combination and testing the significance of difference with LSD value. In order to avoid confounding effect of spikelet sterility on yields, twenty crosses showing normal spikelet fertility were selected. Both positive and negative cytoplasmic effects were observed for the three traits. The effects were modified by environments, except for plant height. Heterosis for all three traits was also affected by cytoplasm, however, manifestation of cytoplasmic effects was higher for heterosis for days to flower than in heterosis for yield and plant height. Effect of cytoplasm was more pronounced on general combining ability effects of parents than specific combining ability effects of crosses. Among the parents two CMS lines A4 (IR54752A) and A8 (IR22107-113-3-3A) and two R lines: R2 (IR46) and R7 (IR9761-19-1) showed consistent positive effect of cytoplasm on general combining ability. These lines have given several good heterotic combinations. The study indicated the usefulness of evaluating diverse cytoplasmic sources in various nuclear genotypes bred for hybrid rice breeding program.     

Evaluation of grain yield and related agronomic traits of quality protein maize hybrids in Southern Africa

Maize is the major staple food in southern Africa with human consumption averaging 91 kg capita^?1 year^?1, and normal maize is nutritionally deficient in two essential amino acids: tryptophan and lysine. Despite the development of quality protein maize (QPM) with high tryptophan and lysine, stunting and kwashiorkor remain high in sub-Saharan Africa due to lack of high yielding and adapted QPM varieties. This study aimed at evaluating a new generation of QPM varieties for yield and related agronomic traits. Before the QPM varieties were validated on-farm, they were simultaneously selected on-station under five different management conditions. In the 2014/2015 season, 10 elite QPM varieties were selected from on-station trials based on high grain yield and stability, and were compared with the best commercial check varieties on-farm. During the 2015/2016 season, some poorly performing QPM varieties were dropped while new ones were added, resulting in 12 elite QPM varieties being evaluated on-farm. Analysis of variance for the 2014/2015 season showed non-significant hybrid × management condition interaction. Mean grain yields across management conditions ranged from 1.5 to 4 t ha^?1 and were higher under mild stress (2.3–5.5 t ha^?1) compared to random stress conditions (1.1–2.9 t ha^?1). Broad sense heritability estimates were low to moderate (11–69%), and thus could still permit effective selection of better genotypes. Yield advantage ranged from 12 to 25% across the 2 years, suggesting effective genetic gains in QPM breeding. QPM hybrids CZH132044Q, CZH142238Q and CZH142236Q were stable and high yielding. Promotion of such QPM hybrids may help reduce protein energy malnutrition.     

Combining ability and gene action for maturity and agronomic traits in different heterotic groups of maize inbred lines and their diallel crosses

Combining ability information is necessary for selection of suitable advanced lines for hybridization and identification of promising hybrids for development of improved varieties. A number of 14 maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines and 91 related crosses were evaluated over two years, 2008 and 2009, in a temperate-zone of Iran. The objectives of the study were to identify the best general and specific combiners, heterosis and type of gene actions responsible for agronomic traits. Except for grain yield and growing degree day to milky, significant general (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining ability were observed for all traits. The Baker ratio for plant height (0.15), ear height (0.26), growing degree day to milky stage (0.04), and grain yield (0.002) showed the predominance of non-additive gene effects in the expression of these traits. The heterosis observed for grain yield, grain number, pollination period, ear and plant height was considerably higher than that observed for other traits. The correlations (r) of F₁ means and SCA effects were positive and significantly higher than that of r (F₁, mid-parents) and r (F₁, heterosis) for all the traits except cob percent, growing degree days to silking, and physiological maturity. MO17, K3547/5, and K3615/2 had negative GCA effects for growing degree day to milky stage and maturity. Among hybrids, MO17 × K3653/2, B73 × K3651/2, and K3545/6 × K3493/1 with positive SCAs for pollination period and grain yield had also negative SCA effects for degree day to silking and milky stages. Therefore, the use of these inbred lines and hybrids increases the response to selection for increasing grain yield and early maturity in maize.     

Mid-parent heterosis and combining ability of European corn borer resistance in maize

Success in breeding maize resistant to the European corn borer has been limited, with the exception of leaf feeding resistance. The inheritance of resistance to leaf, sheath-collar and ear damage in four maize germplasms and their six F₁ crosses was evaluated by diallel analysis. Plants in a completely randomized design were artificially infested at the whorl, anthesis or full silk stage of plant development and were evaluated in the field for insect damage. A damage index based on size, number and location of lesions was calculated for each stage. Stowell's Evergreen (susceptible) had a mean damage index three to six times that of Maiz Amargo (resistant) at the whorl stage and the progeny plants were more resistant than the susceptible parent. Maiz Amargo and its crosses had significantly lower mean indices than Stowell's Evergreen for sheath-collar damage in Year 1 but not Year 2. Zapalote Chico, Maiz Amargo and their cross were significantly less damaged than other genotypes at the full silk stage. Heterosis values indicated an increase in resistance of crosses over the midparent average at all three stages of development. General combining ability (GCA) was highly significant for all types of damage, but specific combining ability was significant only for leaf damage. Based on estimates of GCA, Maiz Amargo was the best source of resistance to leaf and sheath-collar damage and both Zapalote Chico and Maiz Amargo would be good parents for ear damage resistance. Results suggest that resistance at different plant development stages can be combined.     

Combining ability, heterotic patterns and genetic diversity of extra-early yellow inbreds under contrasting environments

Information on the combining ability, heterotic patterns and genetic diversity of maize (Zea mays L.) inbreds is crucial for the success of a hybrid program targeting the stress environments of West Africa (WA). Studies were conducted in 2011 at four locations in Nigeria to (i) determine the combining ability of 20 extra-early yellow inbred lines, (ii) classify the inbred lines into heterotic groups, and (iii) determine the genetic diversity among the lines. General combining ability (GCA) effects were greater than specific combining ability (SCA) effects across test environments suggesting that additive gene action was more important than the nonadditive in the set of inbred lines. The lines were classified into four heterotic groups based on SCA effects, and three groups based on heterotic groups’ specific and GCA, the GCA effects of multiple traits of inbred lines and molecular markers. TZEEI 79, TZEEI 67, and TZEEI 81 were the best inbred testers while TZEEI 95 × TZEEI 79 was the best single-cross tester. TZEEI 88 × TZEEI 66 and TZEEI 96 × TZEEI 73 were identified as ideal hybrids for further testing, promotion for adoption and commercialization in WA.     

Diallel analysis of combining ability and heterosis for yield and yield components in rice by using positive loci

Diallel crosses have been widely used for analysis of general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA) and heterosis. In the present research, 12 lines were selected from 60 inbred rice bred by International Rice Research Institute with extremely-high or -low yielding records according to the previous three consecutive seasons of yield trial experiments, to construct a half diallel cross. The genetic distances (GDs) revealed by molecular markers for the 12 lines ranged from 0.2288 to 0.7169, averaging at 0.5882; clustering analysis showed the 12 lines were divided into four groups maintaining the original cluster structure of the 60 lines. The positive loci (PLs) including effective-increasing loci (ILs) and effective-decreasing loci (DLs) were screened. The results showed that hybrids derived from those parents with higher GCA effects had better performance for traits of yield and yield components. The SCA effects were strongly correlated to F₁ performance as well as heterosis; the GDs based on ILs were significantly positive correlated to SCA effects and heterosis for yield and yield components while the GDs based on DLs showed the significant negative correlations. Based on this research, a new conception, i.e. general sum of combining ability (GSCA) was conceived, which is defined as the sum of GCAs for two parents of a hybrid. The GSCA and SCA showed similar correlations with traits of yield and yield components. The results illustrated that ILs could be used for further study on prediction of heterosis for traits of yield and yield components; and GSCA may be another considerable parameter combined with ILs for breeders in selecting elite hybrid.     

种植密度对玉米产量及主要农艺性状的影响

以玉米新品种M103为材料,设置5个水平的种植密度,研究种植密度对玉米主要农艺性状和产量的影响,结果表明,在不同的种植密度下,玉米的产量和农艺性状都有明显的差别,玉米的株高、稳住高、空秆率均随密度的增加而增加;而穗夹角则随着密度的增加呈现下降的趋势.产量性状中,穗粗、穗长、行粒数随着密度的增加而下降,虚尖长则随密度的增加而升高;千粒重和穗行数受密度的影响较小;玉米产量随着种植密度的增加而增加,增加到一定幅度后又随着密度的增加而下降,产量随密度的增加呈现出向下的抛物线趋势.     

Evaluation of the contribution of teosinte to the improvement of agronomic,grain quality and yield traits in maize (Zea mays)

Teosinte, an ancestor to modern maize, displays an excellent performance regarding resistance to stress, but its yield potential has rarely been reported. To evaluate the potential contribution of teosinte to maize improvement, two maize–teosinte backcrossed recombination inbred line (RIL) populations and their corresponding test-cross hybrids were planted for trait assessment. In RN and ZP RIL populations, the average coefficients of variation of 31 agronomic traits were 9.14% (Range, 0.38%‒25.21%) and 6.85% (Range, 0.55%‒27.73%), respectively. The correlation coefficients of 13 common shared traits between RIL populations and test-cross hybrid populations ranged from 0.10 to 0.60 and from 0.06 to 0.72, respectively. A total of 39 and 3 recombined inbred lines, and 29 and 47 test-cross hybrids exhibited higher yields than their checks (RP125, Zheng58, CD189 and ZD958) with the BLUP data, respectively. Furthermore, four test-cross hybrids including RN034/SCML1950, ZP068/Chang7-2, ZP079/Chang7-2 and ZP122/Chang7-2 showed a more stable yield performance, with yield gains of +7.07%, +3.64%, +5.83% and +3.82% over checks, respectively. In conclusion, teosinte could serve as an alien germplasm for maize breeding.     

Agronomic performance and combining ability estimates of yellow maize inbred lines under adequate and deficit moisture conditions

Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology - Breeding for drought tolerance and increased grain yield is vital in mitigating the threat posed by recurrent drought stress on maize production, as well...     

Identifying quantitative trait loci for the general combining ability of yield-relevant traits in maize

Maize is the most important staple crop worldwide. Many of its agronomic traits present with a high level of heterosis. Combining ability was proposed to exploit the rule of heterosis, and general combining ability (GCA) is a crucial measure of parental performance. In this study, a recombinant inbred line population was used to construct testcross populations by crossing with four testers based on North Carolina design II. Six yield-relevant traits were investigated as phenotypic data. GCA effects were estimated for three scenarios based on the heterotic group and the number of tester lines. These estimates were then used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) and dissect genetic basis of GCA. A higher heritability of GCA was obtained for each trait. Thus, testing in early generation of breeding may effectively select candidate lines with relatively superior GCA performance. The GCA QTL detected in each scenario was slightly different according to the linkage mapping. Most of the GCA-relevant loci were simultaneously detected in all three datasets. Therefore, the genetic basis of GCA was nearly constant although discrepant inbred lines were appointed as testers. In addition, favorable alleles corresponding to GCA could be pyramided via marker-assisted selection and made available for maize hybrid breeding.     

Heterosis for leaf photosynthesis,grain yield and yield components in maize

Summary One of the primary avenues of improving the biological efficiency of crop plants is through the improvement of the leaf and canopy photosynthetic rates. However, the question whether the superiority of hybrids in respect of productivity potential could be traced, in retrospective fashion, to the photosynthetic parameters should be answered first. Once established and standardized, such indices could be streamlined in innovative breeding to predict the heterotic combinations for final yield formation. To answer this question, the photosynthetic rate and other components of photosynthetic efficiency were monitored among eight inbred stocks of maize (selected for variable photosynthetic rate from a previous study) and their all possible one-way crosses. The results demonstrated extensive heterosis in respect of photosynthetic rate and other photosynthetic indices which, in turn, was also realized in terms of higher biomass productivity and yield. Nonetheless, high leaf photosynthesis alone did not result in higher grain yield. On the contrary, component interaction among the photosynthetic indices like photosynthetic rate, leaf area/plant, number of leaves and chlorophyll content on one hand and the complementary gene action on the other, could be held responsible for higher yields in hybrids. Since the components of photosynthetic efficiency can predict heterosis for biomass and grain yield upto a reasonable extent, judicious incorporation of such indices in selection parameters for applied genetic protocols can add yet another dimension to the strategies for future yield improvements.     

Changes in morphological and physiological traits associated with recurrent selection for grain yield in maize

Summary Experiments were conducted during the growing seasons of 1975 and 1976 to determine changes in morphological and physiological traits associated with recurrent selection for grain yield in maize (Zea mays L.). Four variety hybrids, BSSS(R)CO x BSCB1(R)CO, BSSS(R)C7 x BSCB1(R)C7 [from a reciprocal recurrent selection program involving Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic (BSSS) and Iowa Corn Borer Synthetic #1 (BSCB1)], BS12CO x B14A, and BS12C6 x B14A [from a half-sib selection program involving the open-pollinated variety Alph (BS12) and the inbred tester B14A] were grown at 59 300 and 98 800 plants/ha near Ames, Iowa We obtained data on CO₂-exchange rate (an estimate of photosynthetic rate), grain yield, grain-yield components, flowering dates, maturity traits, light interception and use, shelling percentage, harvest index, and various other plant traits.CO₂-exchange rate did not change appreciably with recurrent selection for yield. Grain yield per hectare and per plant were larger for the improved than unimproved hybrids. Grain-yield components did not change significantly with recurrent selection. Kernel weight of BSSS(R)C7 x BSCB1 (R)C7, however, was larger than that of BSSS(R)C0 x BSCB1(R)C0. Pollen-shed-to-silking interval was shorter for the improved than the unimproved hybrids, and grain-filling duration was longer in C7 x C7 than in C₀ x C₀ of the reciprocal recurrent selection program. Furthermore, improved hybrids were characterized by smaller tassels and more upright canopies. Usually, plant traits and leaf-area-related traits were similar for all hybiids.Although dry-matter productivity was similar for all hybrids, those that were improved by recurrent selection produced more grain per unit leaf area and per unit light interception. Also, BS12C6 x B14A was characterized by a higher harvest index than BS12CO x B14A.We concluded that the source (i.e., photosynthetic capacity) was not limiting grain yield in BSSS(R) x BSCB1(R) and BS12. Increased grain yields that resulted from recurrent selection were consequences of longer grain-filling duration for BSSS(R) x BSCB1(R) and increased translocation of photosynthate from source to sink for both BSSS(R) x BSCB1(R) and BS12.Journal Paper J-8953 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Exp. Stn., Ames, Iowa. Project No. 2152.