The genetical basis of hybrid vigour in a highly heterotic cross of Nicotiana tabacum

The genetical control of F₁ heterosis, observed in a cross of desirable Nicotiana tabacum varieties, was investigated by analysing the data of the basic generations, triple test cross-families and random samples of doubled haploids (DH) and single-seed descent (SSD) lines. Analyses of the first-degree statistics revealed a complex control underlying the genetic variation, including the presence of epistasis, linkage, maternal effects and their interactions, in addition to the additive and dominance effects of the genes segregating in the cross. These analyses identified gene dispersion, directional dominance, and duplicate epistasis, as the main causes of heterosis. The triple test-cross analysis also confirmed the presence of non-allelic interactions and indicated that the dominance ratio, although inflated by epistasis, is consistently partial for all the traits. The extent of transgression in the recombinant inbred lines finally established unequivocally that, as in numerous other crosses, gene dispersion and unidirectional, but partial, dominance are the true causes of heterosis in this cross too.