Combining ability among apomictic and sexual parents of Urochloa humidicola

The diallel cross constitutes an informative genetic design for choosing genitors and crosses in breeding programmes since it provides estimates of general (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining abilities. Because the breeding programme for Urochloa humidicola ([Rendle] Morrone & Zuloaga; syn. Brachiaria humidicola [Rendle] Schweick) at Embrapa Beef Cattle is recent, these estimates are still unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to obtain the estimates of GCA and SCA from the partial diallel cross design between sexual and apomictic parents. The crosses involved nine sexual and ten apomictic parents. Seventy‐one full‐sib progenies were obtained and evaluated in an incomplete block design, using all parents and the cv. BRS Tupi as a check. The agronomic and forage quality traits were evaluated using seven harvests. Statistical analysis was performed using the mixed model approach. Significant variations were associated with GCA among sexual parents for biomass yield and forage quality traits. However, this cannot be observed for apomictic parents for GCA. The SCA effect was not significant for the assessed traits. These results showed the predominance of additive effects. Sexual parents SEX3 and SEX4 presented the highest potential for contributing favourable alleles in hybrid combinations. The absence of GCA among apomictic parents and SCA suggests the need to increase genetic variability for the generation of breeding populations of U. humidicola.