Gene effects and interrelationships of spike traits in bread wheat

Abstract: The present study was conducted to investigate the gene effects involved in the inheritance of the induced spike traits in a cross between a giant spike mutant line and a high grain filling rate mutant line and to elucidate the interrelationships between the induced traits. The A, B, C and D scales were not significant for number of kernels/spike and 1000-kernel weight traits, indicating that epistasis is not involved in the genetic control of these two traits. The dominance gene effects played a major role in the genetic control of number of kernels/spike. The additive gene effects were the most important factor determining the inheritance of 1000-kernel weight. The additive gene effects were also important for induced number of spikelets/spike. These results indicate possible improvement of both spikelets/spike and 1000-kernel weight via selection in the present study. Number of kernels/spikelet was controlled by genes with additive and dominance gene effects. Additive, dominance and additive × additive gene effects contributed to the inheritance of number of spikes/plant and grain yield/plant. Dominane gene effects towards higher grain yield/plant and additive × additive gene effects were the most important for grain yield/plant. Number of spikes/plant had the highest positive genetic correlation coefficient with grain yield/plant. A high positive genetic correlation coefficients between spikelets/spike and kernels/spike and between kernels/spikelet and kernels/spike were recorded. The genetic correlations of 1000-kernel weight with each of grain yield/plant, spikes/plant, kernels/spike, kernels/spikelet, and spikelets/spike were negative. A positive but non-significant genetic correlation coefficients between each of grain yield/plant and spikes/plant with spikelets/spike, kernels/spike and kernels/spikelet were also recorded. These findings indicate that indirect selection for number of spikes/plant would be accompanied by high yielding and more effective for the improvement of grain yield in bread wheat.
Publication year 2017
Pages 85-98
Organization Name
Author(s) from ARC
Publication Type Journal
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