A note on the analysis of reciprocal effects in diallel crosses

Maternal effects and sex-linkage give rise to differences between reciprocal crosses. In diallel-cross analyses, the presence of these effects will cause biases in the estimates of the genetical components of the variation. A method of analysis is described in which this bias is removed. Also, a worked example demonstrates the analysis for a case where males only are available.     

Effects of reciprocal crosses on agronomic performance of tritordeum

Tritordeums (Tritordeum Ascherson et Graebner) are the amphiploids derived from the crosses between Hordeum chilense and durum or bread wheats. Primary tritordeums are obtained using H. chilense as female parent and therefore they exhibit H. chilense cytoplasm. The effect of wheat cytoplasm on agronomic performance of tritordeums was investigated. We developed four pairs of reciprocal F₁ lines only differing in their cytoplasm, donated from wheat or H. chilense alternatively. The agronomic performance of reciprocal F₁ lines contrasting for their cytoplasm was evaluated. The following traits were assessed: leave and tillers number one month after sowing, plant height, anthesis date, total number of ears, number of spikelets per spike, fertility of the main spike, length and wide of the flag leaf in the main stem and thousand kernel weight. Reciprocal F₁ lines did not differ for any of the agronomic traits evaluated with the exception of anthesis date in the pair THC1726/HTC1727. Therefore, both wheat and H. chilense cytoplasms can be used in tritordeum breeding. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Frustration and production in purelines of chickens and their reciprocal crosses

Frustration, fear and production traits were measured in four populations of White Plymouth Rock pullets that were maintained singly in wire cages. The populations consisted of two purelines and their reciprocal crosses. Significant differences were found between the purelines for frustration, as measured by head flicking. Means for the cross-line pullets were similar to that of the parental line with lower value, and significantly different from the parental line with the higher value. Highly significant differences were found among lines for fear, with the average of the reciprocal cross means being the same as the mid-parent average of the purelines. Within population, phenotypic correlations showed no relationship between frustration and fear. Also there was no evidence, under our husbandry conditions, that frustration and fear were associated with either body weight, age at first egg or egg production.     

Fertilization and early embryo development in reciprocal interspecific crosses of Phaseolus

Summary Fertilization and early embryo and endosperm development were examined in Phaseolus vulgaris x P. acutifolius, P. vulgaris x P. lunatus crosses and their reciprocals. The number and length of pollen tubes were not different between selfings and interspecific crosses. Fertilization was completed in all matings and the time of fertilization was maternally dependent which may reflect the degree of maturation of embryo sacs at pollination. A large difference between reciprocal crosses was found in the time of endosperm and embryo division in relation to the time of fertilization. When P. vulgaris was the female parent and P. acutifolius the male parent, endosperm division occurred at the same time as in P. vulgaris upon selfing, while in P. vulgaris x P. lunatus crosses the time of endosperm division was intermediate as compared with the two parents. The time lapse between fertilization and endosperm and embryo division in P. acutifolius x P. vulgaris crosses was longer than in either parent upon selfing. In P. lunatus x P. vulgaris crosses, endosperm division occurred in only 7–12% of the ovules at 72 hours after pollination. Embryo development in these ovules was limited to the four cell stage although the endosperm was at the free nuclei stage. The severe delay in embryo and endosperm divisions may be the major cause of early pod abscission in P. lunatus x P. vulgaris crosses.Technical paper No. 4929 of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. Research was supported by the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, the Research Council of Oregon State University (NIH Biomedical Research Support Grand RR07079) and the Processor Research Council of Oregon. A.R. is supported by an African Graduate Fellowship from the African-American Institute.     

The genetics of diploid x tetraploid and reciprocal cyclamen crosses

Zusammenfassung Bis heute wurden bei Cyclamen 5 Kreuzungen diploid x tetraploid und 2 Kreuzungen tetraploid x diploid untersucht. Eine lieferte nur 2 weitgehend sterile triploide F₁-Pflanzen. In allen anderen Fällen waren F₁, F₂ und — soweit untersucht — F₃ vollständig tetraploid.In 3 Kreuzungen konnte die Blumenfarbe analysiert werden. Es stellte sich heraus, daß die F₂- und F₃-Spaltungen einem autotetraploiden Schema entsprechen. Hieraus geht hervor, daß bei den Kreuzungen diploid x tetraploid die Eizelle unreduziert oder verdoppelt vor der Befruchtung ist, während bei den Kreuzungen tetraploid x diploid der generative Kern unreduziert oder verdoppelt vor der Befruchtung sein muß.

---

---

Herrn Prof.H. Kappert zum 65. Geburtstag gewidmet     

Primary trisomics obtained from autotriploid by diploid reciprocal crosses in cucumber

To promote cytogenetical studies on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L., 2n = 2x = 14), the reciprocal crosses were made between autotriploid and diploid for selecting the primary trisomics. Meanwhile, chromosome behavior during meiosis in autotriploid cucumber was investigated to look for cytological evidences for origin of primary trisomics. Many viable F₁ seeds were obtained from reciprocal crosses between autotriploid and diploid. The number of chromosomes of 56 surviving progenies varied from 14 to 28, with plants having 2n = 15 occurring at the highest frequency (51.8%). Primary trisomics were firstly obtained in this study. Four types of primary trisomics were isolated and they could be distinguished from each other, as well as diploid. Variable chromosome configurations, e.g. univalent, bivalents and trivalents were observed in many pollen mother cells of the autotriploid at metaphase I. Binomial chromosome distribution was observed at anaphase I and frequency of 8/13 was 6.25%. The meiosis of autotriploid, especially the class of gametes with eight chromosomes, gave the cytological evidence of producing 2x + 1 type gamete and could be induced into primary trisomic plants from progeny of autotriploid–diploid crosses. These studies have established a ground work for selecting a series of primary trisomics, and further using them for associating linkage groups with specific chromosomes in cucumber.     

Estimates of heterosis for in vitro embryo production using reciprocal crosses in cattle

In vitro embryo production and exploitation of heterosis are two methods of increasing productivity and accelerating genetic progress in many cattle production systems. However, it is not known if heterosis exists in bovine embryos produced in vitro. Tests for heterosis in in vitro embryo production were conducted in two experiments using reciprocal crosses. In the first, gametes from Bos taurus and Bos indicus were used; in the second, gametes from dairy and beef breeds of Bos taurus were used. In each experiment, both parental groups were used as sperm and oocyte donors, producing crossbred and purebred embryos. Oocytes obtained from abattoir-derived ovaries underwent in vitro maturation and in vitro fertilization with frozen semen. Embryos were cultured to blastocyst stage and observed. In the first experiment, higher (P < 0.05) rates of blastocyst formation were found for Bos taurus both as sires and as dams. Approximately 36% of the purebred Bos taurus oocytes and 21% of the purebred Bos indicus oocytes developed to blastocyst. Crosses averaged 16% resulting in a heterosis estimate of 45%. Ovaries from Bos indicus cows had more harvestable oocytes than did those from Bos taurus cows (P < 0.05). No evidence for heterosis was found for crosses within Bos taurus. Oocytes from beef cows had a higher rate of blastocyst formation than did those from dairy cows (30 vs. 24%, P < 0.05). These seemingly disparate results concerning heterosis were discussed in light of the period of genetic isolation of the parental populations in the two experiments.     

Asymmetry in the frequencies of reciprocal recombinants in crosses of T4 phage rIIB mutants]

The frequencies of reciprocal recombinants in crosses between rIIB mutants of T4 phage were shown to differ from each other. In terms of the correction model, this asymmetry of genetic recombination was used to measure the comparative correctability of the mismatched regions to the wild type and to the mutant alleles. The data obtained are in quantitative agreement with the analogous values for the same mismatched regions determined by comparison of the markers located at the same site. This strongly suggests that the asymmetry of genetic recombination in T4 reflects the corresponding difference in rates of correction of the mismatched regions in heteroduplexes in opposite directions.     

Generation means analysis for productivity in two diverse peanut crosses

Summary Utilization of exotic germplasm resources for population improvement in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) has increased as the need to increase genetic diversity among peanut cultivars was recognized. Progeny of crosses of two unadapted germplasm lines (GP-NC 343 and FESR-11-P11-32) with an adapted cultivar (NCV11) of peanut were evaluated for the genetic factors influencing the inheritance of yield and fruit characters in crosses among diverse lines. Objectives were to (1) estimate the relative importance of additive and nonadditive genetic effects in the inheritance of yield and fruit characters in two diverse peanut crosses; (2) determine the proportion of exotic germplasm that gave the optimum combination of mean productivity and genetic variability for each of the crosses; (3) relate the results to theories regarding the transfer of desirable alleles from exotic germplasm into adapted breeding populations. Crosses and backcrosses were made to generate germplasm lines (ten generations) ranging from 0 to 100% exotic germplasm for each cross. The populations were evaluated in replicated field trials. Yield and six fruit characters were measured, and a weighted analysis of variance was conducted to determine if significant differences existed among generations. Generation means analyses were performed for each trait measured in each of the crosses using both three- and six-parameter models, which were tested for goodness-of-fit with a joint-scaling test. Significant differences were detected among generations for most traits measured in both crosses. Estimates of additive genetic effects were significant for pod weight and seed weight in cross 1 (NC-V11 x GP-NC 343) and for all traits in cross 2 (NC-V11 x FESR-11-P11-32) except seedpod ratio. Significant estimates of dominance effects were found for pod length, pod width, and pod weight in cross 1 and for pod length in cross 2. No significant estimates of digenic effects were observed in cross 1, whereas in cross 2 estimates of additive x dominance epistatic effects were significant for yield and pod length, while estimates of additive x additive effects were significant for seed number. Regression of trait means on generations showed a curvilinear response for all traits in cross 1 except seed weight, which gave a linear response. For all traits in cross 2, the relationship between productivity and proportion of unadapted germplasm was effectively linear. Based on generation means and variances, progeny from the first or second backcross generation to the recurrent parent should be expected to give an optimum combination of mean productivity and relative variability in the population.The research reported in this publication was funded in part by the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service     

Peripheral plasma testosterone levels in two indian breeds of goats and their reciprocal crosses

Plasma testosterone levels were estimated in different male goat age groups. In Black Bengal at 15–30 days, 2–3 months, 3–5 months and in Black Bengal, Beetal, Beetal × Black Bengal and Black Bengal × Beetal at 6 months and > 12 months (n = 6 in each case). The plasma testosterone levels (mean ± s.e.m.) were high (7.1 ± 2.0 ng/ml) at 2–3 months and fell drastically to 2.6 ± 0.5 ng/ml before attaining sexually mature levels of 4.6 ± 0.9 ng/ml at 6 months and 4.1 ± 0.8 ng/ml at > 12 months. The mature bucks of all genetic groups had a plasma testosterone concentration of 4.6 ± 0.8 ng/ml. Genetic group differences were not significant.     

Basis of difference between reciprocal crosses involving Triticum boeoticum and T. urartu

Summary The boeoticum () X urartu () F₁ hybrids gave small, plump and viable seeds while the reciprocal crosses with T. urartu as the female parent had long, shrivelled and non-viable seeds. Reciprocal nuclear-substitution lines comprising the nucleus of one species into the cytoplasm of the other were developed through repeated backcrossing and were crossed as female parents with respective non-recurrent parents (the cytoplasm donors). The difference between the reciprocal crosses was presumably attributable to different boeoticum urartu genomic ratios in the triploid endosperm rather than to the cytoplasmic difference between the diploid wheats. The endosperm with two doses of the boeoticum and one of the urartu genome resulted in small, plump and viable seed while the endosperm of the reciprocal crosses with two doses of the urartu and one of the boeoticum genome led to large but shrivelled and non-viable seeds irrespective of the cytoplasmic type. One dose of the paternal genome in the triploid endosperm is probably not expressed in the presence of two doses of the maternal genome thereby leading to the difference between the reciprocal crosses. The results reported here indicate that difference between reciprocal crosses may not always be attributed to cytoplasmic difference between the parental species.     

Unusual inheritance of the mitochondrial genome organization in the progeny of reciprocal crosses between alloplasmic hexaploid wheat regenerants

The transmission of a structurally-hypervariable fraction of the mitochondrial genome has been studied in 42 F₁ progenies obtained from reciprocal crosses between self-pollinated alloplasmic wheat plants regenerated after long-term somatic embryogenesis. This fraction of the genome is maternally and stoichiometrically inherited. In contrast, some additional restriction fragments specific to regenerated plants display a more complex mode of sexual transmission: one of the additional fragments was stoichiometrically and systematically inherited whereas two others were detected only in certain F₁ hybrids. Assuming that the detection, by Southern analysis, of such a fragment in regenerated plants is due to the amplification of a pre-existing substoichiometric molecule generated by the activation of a rare recombination event, our results suggest that the probability of detecting a novel fragment in the F₁ hybrids could be determined by the length of the repeated sequence at which recombination occurs.     

Comparative performance of FDR and SDR progenies from reciprocal 4x-2x crosses in potato

Numerically unreduced (2n) gametes from first division restitution (FDR) are considered to be superior to 2n-gametes from second division restitution (SDR) because they transfer a larger proportion of the total parental heterozygosity and epistasis intact to the tetraploid progeny. This supposed superiority was investigated by comparing 12 sets of reciprocal 4x-2x crosses. Each diploid parent used in a reciprocal set produced 2n-pollen by FDR and 2n-eggs by SDR. Six agronomic characters were investigated. FDR progenies (from 4x.2x) were found to have higher mean yields due to more and bigger tubers. With respect to underwater weight, the overall progeny mean of FDR progenies was significantly higher than that of SDR progenies (from 2x.4x). However, the absolute difference found between both overall progeny means was too small to be of practical significance. No differences between FDR and SDR progeny means were found for vine maturity and chip colour. In addition to the progeny mean, within-progeny variation is important in potato breeding. For vine maturity a higher within-progeny variation was detected in SDR progenies, whereas within-progeny variations for yield, underwater weight and chip colour were not different in FDR and SDR progenies. With regard to vine maturity, we conclude that SDR 2n-gametes are superior to FDR 2n-gametes because, with the same progeny means of FDR and SDR progenies, the within-progeny variation was higher in SDR progenies. Therefore the assumed superiority of FDR 2n-gametes was confirmed for yield but was not observed for vine maturity, underwater weight and chip colour.     

Blood parameters and body composition in fetuses from reciprocal crosses of genetically lean and obese swine

Lines of swine previously selected for either high backfat (obese) or low backfat (lean) were investigated to determine the effect of maternal obesity and the relationship between serum parameters and body composition. Fetal weight, percentage body protein, fat, fat-free organic matter and ash, and serum concentrations of albumin, growth hormone, triiodothyronine, and cortisol were compared in fetuses from straight line and reciprocal crosses at 110 days of gestation. Fetuses from the obese line weighed less but had a greater percentage body protein, fat, and fat-free organic matter than did fetuses from the lean line. Serum concentrations of albumin and triiodothyronine were less whereas those of growth hormone were greater in fetuses from the lean line compared to fetuses from the obese line. Values for these parameters in fetuses from the reciprocal crosses were generally intermediate to those of fetuses from the lean and obese lines. Comparisons of fetuses from the reciprocal and line crosses by linear contrast showed that the observed differences were mainly due to the average genetic effect of individual fetal genotypes and not due to maternal effects. Correlations computed from the residual variance showed a positive relationship between percentage body protein, serum albumin, and triiodothyronine while percentage body fat was not correlated with any of the other traits. Serum growth hormone was negatively correlated with fetal weight. We conclude that there is no apparent maternal effect of obesity or relationship of fetal fat content with any of the other variables measured in these lines of swine at the stage of fetal development at which these determinations were made.     

Embryo development in reciprocal crosses of Phaseolus vulgaris L. and P. coccineus Lam.

Summary Embryo development was examined in reciprocal crosses of Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Great Northern and P. coccineus cv. Scarlet Runner. The formation of abnormal (shrunken and underdeveloped) embryos constituted the primary crossing barrier between the two species when P. coccineus was the female parent. Plants of P. coccineus X P. vulgaris were obtained by embryo culture. Although the P. vulgaris X P. coccineus cross resulted in normal seed development, the fertility of the resulting hybrids was much lower (27%) than that of the reciprocal hybrids (81%). Three classes of F₂ embryos, normal, shrunken, and underdeveloped were formed on reciprocal F₁s and the frequencies did not differ between reciprocal populations. Thus, the interactions between embryo and endosperm and/or maternal parent rather than cytoplasmic-nuclear effects seem to be important in the determination of the extent of embryo growth. The examination of pollen fertility of F₂ plants and the development of F₂ and F₃ embryos suggests that the formation of abnormal embryos and reduced male fertility are independent events. The P. vulgaris — P. coccineus crosses may be useful in studying the possible involvement of interspecific differences in hormonal metabolism in the development of hybrid embryos.