General and specific combining ability from partial diallels of radiata pine: implications for utility of SCA in breeding and deployment populations

Variances for general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) and the relationship between mid-parental GCA and SCA effects were estimated for tree diameter (DBH) from a series of 20 sets of 6×6 half-diallel mating experiments in radiata pine, planted at ten sites across Australia. Significant SCA variance for DBH was almost equal to GCA variance for the combined analysis of all ten sites. The importance of SCA variance varied among sites, from non-significant to SCA variance accounting for all genetic variation among full-sib families. Significant SCA × site interaction was detected among the ten sites. A significant and positive correlation between mid-parental breeding values and best linear unbiased predictions of the SCA effects was observed. About a quarter of extra genetic gain is achievable through use of SCA variance if selection is based on the best breeding values. To fully exploit genetic gain from SCA variance in a deployment population, positive assortative matings are required for the best parents. It is estimated that the additional deployment gain of 46.0% for ten sites combined, or 52.9% for four sites combined that had significant GCA as well as SCA effects, were achievable relative to gain from GCA only, if all SCA variance within this breeding population was exploited. For a breeding population, selection for breeding values may be sufficient due to positive correlations between breeding values and SCA values. For a deployment population to capture more SCA genetic gain, it is preferable to make more pair-wise mating for parents with higher breeding values.Communicated by O. Savolainen     

作物品种间杂种优势遗传分析的新方法

本文提出了分析双列杂交试验资料的两个遗传模型。第一个模型包括加性、显性和母体效应;第二个模型只包括简单的加性和显性效应。还介绍了分析杂种优势、估算遗传方差分量以及预测遗传效应值的相应统计分析方法。用所介绍的遗传模型和分析方法以及常用的Griffing配合力分析方法,分析了棉花6个品种双列杂交的产量性状,并进一步比较了不同方法的分析结果。采用本文所介绍的遗传模型和分析方法,可以克服用Griffing的配合力模型及其方法分析杂种优势和配合力遗传表现所存在的局限性。     

Breeding of Brassica rapa for Biogas Production: Heterosis and Combining Ability of Biomass Yield

The use of plant biomass as substrate for biogas production has recently become of major interest in Europe. Winter Brassica rapa produces high early biomass and could be grown as a pre-crop harvested early in the year followed by a second crop such as maize. The objectives of this study were to estimate heterosis and combining ability of 15 European winter B. rapa cultivars for biomass yield at end of flowering. A half-diallel without reciprocals was conducted among cultivars to produce 105 crosses. These crosses and their parents were evaluated in two years at two locations in Northern Germany. Data collected were days to flowering (DTF), fresh biomass yield (FBY), dry matter content (DMC) and dry biomass yield (DBY). The mean DBY was 5.3 t/ha for the parental cultivars and 5.6 t/ha for their crosses. The crosses surpassed on average their parents by 7.6% for FBY and 5.9% for DBY whereas DMC was 1.4% higher in the parents. Maximum mid parent heterosis was 21.0% for FBY and 30.4% for DBY. Analysis of variance showed that genetic variance was mainly due to specific combining ability (SCA). The correlation between parental performance and general combining ability (GCA) was 0.42** for FBY and 0.53** for DBY. In conclusion, the amount of heterosis in crosses between European winter B. rapa cultivars is not very high on average, but can be up to 30% in the best crosses. Selection of parental combinations with high specific combining ability to produce synthetic cultivars can rapidly improve biomass yield.     

Genetic analysis of several traits in potatoes by means of a diallel cross

Genetic variation for nine traits of importance in potatoes was analysed in a half-diallel set of crosses with six parents. General combining ability (GCA) effects were responsible for differences in maturity. For the other traits (yield, number of tubers, mean tuber weight, percentages of cracked and diseased tubers, texture and blackening following cooking and specific gravity) special combining ability (SCA) was important. The correlations between the traits were calculated. The implication for breeding is that trial crossing would be necessary to identify progenies with good potential. The analyses revealed associations between traits which are potentially useful to the breeder.     

华南杂交稻亲本间产量配合力评价与分子标记鉴定

选用华南地区广泛应用的8个杂交稻不育系与10个恢复系,按NCII设计配制两套不完全双列杂交组合61个,通过在湛江的两年种植试验,结合62对与产量性状QTL连锁SSR标记,对18个亲本的产量配合力进行综合评价和标记位点鉴定。结果表明：供试亲本间一般配合力存在较大差异,其中不育系珍汕97A、万金A和恢复系直龙、广恢3550的一般配合力相对较高;两套组合共检测出36个与亲本产量配合力显著相关的标记位点,其中RM1、RM216、RM231和RM542为两套材料所共有;检测出的杂合标记位点中,23个为增效标记位点,13个为减效标记位点,其中杂合标记位点RM231、RM209可使F1的单株粒重增加13.50 %和16.43 %。该结果可为华南地区杂交稻育种的亲本改良及选配提供了理论指导。     

Major gene detection for fusiform rust resistance using Bayesian complex segregation analysis in loblolly pine

The presence of major genes affecting rust resistance of loblolly pine was investigated in a progeny population that was generated with a half-diallel mating of six parents. A Bayesian complex segregation analysis was used to make inference about a mixed inheritance model (MIM) that included polygenic effects and a single major gene effect. Marginalizations were achieved by using Gibbs sampler. A parent block sampling by which genotypes of a parent and its offspring were sampled jointly was implemented to improve mixing. The MIM was compared with a pure polygenic model (PM) using Bayes factor. Results showed that the MIM was a better model to explain the inheritance of rust resistance than the pure PM in the diallel population. A large major gene variance component estimate (> 50% of total variance), indicated the existence of major genes for rust resistance in the studied loblolly pine population. Based on estimations of parental genotypes, it appears that there may be two or more major genes affecting disease phenotypes in this diallel population.     

二棱大麦茎杆特性的ADAA模型的遗传研究

以二棱大麦(Hordeum,distichum L.)甘木二条等7个品种进行半双列杂交,对1992年和1997年的亲本、F     

Sex-linked and maternal effects in the Eberhart-Gardner general genetics model

To deal with differences between reciprocal crosses found in many animal breeding experiments, an extension of the general model for genetic effects, given by Eberhart and Gardner (1966, Biometrics 22, 864-881), is presented. In this extension, reciprocal differences between crosses are defined in terms of several maternal and sex-linked parameters, the latter being expressed as functions of gene values and their frequencies. Models are given for several kinds of crosses. Experimental setups or designs of increasing complexity are presented for the estimation of some of the parameters in the models, particularly the sex-linked and maternal ones, as well as the interpopulation heterotic additive-by-additive epistasis. For prediction purposes, different analyses are suggested for the model with highly correlated variables. If the genetic architecture of a trait in different populations is to be compared, the analysis of variance will provide enough degrees of freedom to allow the investigation of the importance of each kind of genetic effect. An example which uses all possible two-way crosses and a partial set of three-way crosses applied to two quantitative traits in the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, is included merely as a guide for computations. Population means given by Eberhart and Gardner are extended to incorporate the inbreeding coefficient.     

小麦品质和农艺性状的配合力分析

依据田间试验和室内生化分析数据,按ｐｘｑ交配模式,对１０个冬小麦亲本２５个杂交组合Ｆ１的蛋白质含量,赖氨酸含量,穗粒重和千粒重的一般配合力和特殊配合力效应进行了分析。结果表明,除蛋白质含量的ｓｃａ外,其余性状的ｇｃａ和ｓｃａ效应均达极显著水平,表明在本研究中,基因的加性效应和非加性效应均起重要作用。由于一般配合力差δ＾２ｓｃａ大,表明基因的加性效应更加重要。根据ｇｃａ,ｓｃａ和δ＾２ｓｃａ估值,分     

Genetic behavior of earliness and yield traits of some rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a critical staple food crop that provides more than half of the world's population with its primary nutritional source. Breeders and growers of rice would profit from robust genotypes with improved morphological and yield-related characteristics. The aim of this work is to determine the nature and magnitude of gene action on yield quantity and quality, to define the best combinations of earliness and yield characters, develop hybrids that perform better on yield quantity and quality. Three replications were used in the experiment's randomized complete block design (RCBD). During the 2016 season, seven different parents, namely Sakha 101, Sakha 104, Sakha 105, Giza 177, Black rice 1, Black rice 2, and Black rice 3, were crossed using A 7 × 7 half-diallel set analysis without reciprocals to generate 21 F1 crosses. The results indicated that genotype-dependent mean squares were very significant for main characteristics. Significant combining ability SCA variance estimates were more considerable than general combining ability (GCA) variance for all characters except days to 50% flowering. It demonstrated that both additive and non-additive genetic variance played a role in expressing the attributes investigated. The Parents, Black rice, Sakha 105, and Sakha 101, were recognized as the best general combiner for most growth and yield attributes. Sakha105 × Black Rice 1, Sakha105 × Black Rice 2, Sakha101 × Sakha104, Sakha105 × Giza 177, and Sakha101 × Giza 177 all demonstrated non-additive gene activity for the majority of maturity and yield traits. Heterosis breeding would be most efficient for qualities where high performance was determined by dominance and dominance gene effects. The increased yield of crosses results from parents with a diverse genetic background and genetic diversity.     

Statistical Analysis of Factorial Diallel Design over Environments

Starting from the experimental situation that in each of a environments all mp combinations between m maternal and p paternal genotypes are raised in b replications (blocks), a linear model is formulated for a quantitative character. On the basis of this model formulae for the analysis of variance are given. The expectations of mean squares as well as the estimations of effects (general and specific combining ability and their interaction terms with environments) and their variances are given for different combinations of fixed and random factors.     

The use of regression methods to study genotype-environment interactions: extending Griffing's model for diallel cross experiments and testing an empirical grouping method.

A model combining features of Griffing's diallel cross analysis with regression analysis for genotype-environment interactions is introduced using carp data of Moav et al. (1975) as an example. An analysis of variance based on this model provides information on the combining abilities of genetic effects and the interactions of these effects with environments from which inferences can readily be made on heterosis and heterosis-environment interactions. Applying the empirical grouping method of Lin and Thompson (1975) to these data (ignoring their diallel cross structure) established groups which were remarkably consistent with their members' crossing backgrounds.     

Combining ability and parental evaluation in five selected clones of sugarcane (Saccharum sp. hybrids)

Summary Five Hawaiian commercial sugarcane (Saccharum sp. hybrids) clones were crossed in a full diallel. Four morphological characters were studied in the progeny: number of millable stalks per plant, stalk diameter, stalk length, and sucrose content. A fifth character, plant volume, was calculated from stalk number, stalk diameter and stalk length. The five selected parental clones were treated as fixed variables in the analysis. General combining ability (gca) was significant for all five characters; specific combining ability (sca) was significant for stalk diameter, stalk length, and plant volume. The variance for gca was large in all progeny populations. However, the variance for sca was large in the progeny of only some clones and/or for some individual characters. Parents were evaluated on the basis of their general combining ability: clone H49-3533 had high gca for sucrose content, while clone H53-5356 had high gca for plant vigor.Published with the approval of the Director as Journal Series Paper No. 455, Experiment Station, Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association.     

A blocking Gibbs sampling method to detect major genes with phenotypic data from a diallel mating

Diallel mating is a frequently used design for estimating the additive and dominance genetic (polygenic) effects involved in quantitative traits observed in the half- and full-sib progenies generated in plant breeding programmes. Gibbs sampling has been used for making statistical inferences for a mixed-inheritance model (MIM) that includes both major genes and polygenes. However, using this approach it has not been possible to incorporate the genetic properties of major genes with the additive and dominance polygenic effects in a diallel mating population. A parent block Gibbs sampling method was developed in this study to make statistical inferences about the major gene and polygenic effects on quantitative traits for progenies derived from a half-diallel mating design. Using simulated data sets with different major and polygenic effects, the proposed method accurately estimated the major and polygenic effects of quantitative traits, and possible genotypes of parents and progenies. The impact of specifying different prior distributions was examined and was found to have little effect on inference on the posterior distribution. This approach was applied to an experimental data set of Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) derived from a 6-parent half-diallel mating. The result indicated that there might be a recessive major gene affecting height growth in this diallel population.     

Association of the cad-n1 allele with increased stem growth and wood density in full-sib families of loblolly pine

Stem growth and wood density associated with a mutant null (cad-n1) allele were examined in three 15-year-old loblolly pine half-diallel tests established on two sites in the southern United States. In each half-diallel test, one or two cad-n1 heterozygous parents were crossed with five unrelated wild-type parents to produce five or ten full-sib families. In all, 839 trees from 20 full-sib families in four genetic backgrounds (a cad-n1 heterozygote × five unrelated trees) were sampled, genotyped at the cad locus, and assessed for growth and wood density traits. In a combined analysis of all four genetic backgrounds, we found evidence for effects of increased wood density associated with the cad-n1 allele at age 15 years (p=0.03) and height growth at ages 6 (p=0.03) and 15 (p=0.005). There were differences in the cad-n1 effects for the various growth and wood traits among the half-diallel tests. This variation may be due to either different genetic backgrounds among the parents of the different half-diallel tests or for different growing environments at the field sites. Even though the cad-n1 effect on growth and wood density was significant across genetic backgrounds, the effect was variable among full-sib families within backgrounds. We speculate that certain wild-type alleles from second parents specifically interact with cad-n1 producing large positive effects. In addition, pleiotropic effects on growth and wood density appear to be associated with the cad-n1 allele. While substantial gains are possible through deployment of trees carrying cad-n1, these gains may be family-specific and should be verified for each cross through field-testing.     

杂交水稻主要农艺性状配合力遗传力分析

选用生产上常用的5个杂交水稻不育胞质与5个高配合力恢复系,采用NCII模式对产量性状、芒、粒形等主要农艺性状的亲本配合力、方差贡献率及遗传力进行分析。结果表明：胞质效应和恢复系效应在所测性状中均达到显著或极显著差异水平,芒长、粒形、单穗重受环境的影响较小;产量和收获指数的非加性遗传作用明显,受环境效应的影响也较大。亲本效应方面,恢复系的效应远大于胞质效应;产量性状JW型（爪哇型）胞质和蜀恢527的一般配合力效应较高,同时JW型胞质和R21属于Ⅰ类亲本;粒形性状G型（冈型）胞质和蜀恢527的一般配合力效应最高,同时均属于Ⅰ类亲本。     

Impact of interpopulation divergence on additive and dominance variance in hybrid populations

We present a theoretical proof that the ratio of the dominance vs. the additive variance decreases with increasing genetic divergence between two populations. While the dominance variance is the major component of the variance due to specific combining ability (sigma(SCA)(2)), the additive variance is the major component of the variance due to general combining ability (sigma(GCA)(2)). Therefore, we conclude that interpopulation improvement becomes more efficient with divergent than with genetically similar heterotic groups, because performance of superior hybrids can be predicted on the basis of general combining ability effects.     

Combining ability analysis over environments in diallel crosses of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.)

Summary This paper reports on combining ability studies for yield and its component traits in diallel crosses involving ten ecogeographically and genetically diverse linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) cultivars in the F₂ generation over three locations. The general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) mean squares were significant at all three locations for all traits. Combined analysis over locations showed the same trend of significance. The ratio of GCA to SCA mean squares was significant for all the traits in individual location analysis as well as in combined analysis. This indicated the predominant role of additive gene effects in the inheritance of these characters. The GCA mean squares were several times larger than SCA mean squares for all the traits, indicating the presence of considerable magnitude of additive genetic variance and the additive x additive components of the epistatic variance. Consequently, effective selection should be possible within these F₂ populations for all characters. Significant genotype-location and GCA-location interactions indicated that more than one test location is required to obtain reliable information. The inexpensive and reliable procedure used for making the choice of parents was the determination of breeding values of the parents on the relative performance of their F₂ progeny bulks.Part of the thesis submitted by the senior author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph. D. degree of the Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani, 431 402, India     

Canonical analysis of asymmetric matrices: two applications from a study of chalk grassland in the south of England

Gower's (1977) method for the canonical analysis of asymmetric matrices (CAA) where the same entities index both the rows and the columns is described. This technique displays the indexing entities in a series of orthogonal planes of decreasing importance in such a way as to preserve the pattern of the asymmetry between them. The analysis is applied to a half-diallel experiment and to some leaf-overtopping data, both from a study of the control of relative abundance of perennials in chalk grassland. The results suggest a common source for the asymmetry in the very different interference and overtopping data, namely that of leaf height. It is concluded that relative abundance in the field may be determined, in part, by leaf height through aboveground interference between plants.Nomenclature follows Tutin et al., 1964–1980. Flora Europaea, Vols 1–5. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.I am particularly indebted to the Nature Conservancy Council for permission to carry out the field experiment on the Aston Rowant N.N.R., and to do field work at Castle Hill N.N.R.We are grateful to R. A. Kempton for permission to use his methodology in the analysis of the half-diallel experiment prior to publication. This work was carried out while J.M. was in receipt of a Research Studentship from the Natural Environment Research Council, and L.G. was in receipt of an internal Research Studentship from Trinity College, Cambridge.     

SSR heterogenic patterns of parents for marking and predicting heterosis in rice breeding

The most important concerns of hybrid rice breeders are selection of donors to improve parental lines and prediction of hybrid performance. In this study, SSR molecular marker technology and a half-diallel method were used to address these related hybrid production issues. The results show that genetic diversity among the parental lines is certainly related to heterosis. The heterozygosity of each parental pair is significantly associated with the general combining ability, not with the specific combining ability. However, neither genetic diversity nor heterozygosity is a good indicator for predicting heterosis. From these results, it is suggested that donors for improving parents of hybrids be selected from the improved inbred lines by conventional breeding programs. In this investigation, we also discovered that four favorable alleles and six favorable heterogenic patterns on the parental lines significantly contribute to the heterosis of their hybrids in grain yield, whereas six unfavorable alleles and six unfavorable heterogenic patterns significantly reduce heterosis. These noticeable findings could be, in practice, useful for hybrid rice breeding programs with SSR marker-assisted selection. It is suggested that the optimal combinations with the superior grain yield could be bred out by assembling those favorable alleles into their parental lines and by removing the unfavorable alleles from the parental lines. This study also indicates that there is still a great heterosis potential to be exploited in indica/indica hybrids by the same strategy. In indica/japonica hybrid breeding programs, it may also be important to remove unfavorable alleles rather than broaden genetic diversity or heterozygosity of the parents.