JWSS - Journal of Water and Soil Science

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Seven Iranian and foreign cultivars of rice were crossed in a half-diallel. Parents with F2-generations were transplanted in a randomized complete blocks design with 3 replications and evaluated for length to breath ratio of paddy and brown rice, head rice and crust, grain yield, percent of head rice and broken rice, amylose content, gelatinization temperature and gel consistency. The ANOVA table showed significant differences among genotypes, general combining ability effects for all traits and specific combining ability effects for length to breath ratio of paddy and brown rice, percent of head rice and broken rice, so representing additive and non-additive effects in genetic control of the traits involved, respectively. The graphical analysis of the results showed partial dominance for length to breath ratio of paddy and brown rice, grain yield, amylose content, gelatinization temperature and gel consistency. Because of additive gene effects, genetic advance from selection would be high for these traits. The genetic control of brown rice weight is complete dominance, and for weight of head rice and rice crust weight over dominance involved. So, genetic advance by selection for these traits would be poor. In the genetic control of higher length to breath ratio of paddy and brown rice, brown and head rice weight, grain yield and amylose content recessive genes are involved. Domsiah for higher to breath ratio of paddy and brown rice and Sepidrud for brown and head rice weight had the most recessive genes. IR28 for higher grain yield and Sepidrud for less crust weight had the most recessive genes.

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Diallel crosses of six breeding inbred lines of corn (Zea mays L.) were used to estimate combining abilities, heterosis and some other genetic parameters for yield and some of its components. Parents, 15 F1 crosses and 4 filler genotypes, were evaluated in a 5×5 simple lattice design. For all the traits studied, except seed length, the efficiency of lattice design was less than one. Therefore, data were analysed as a randomized complete block and after eliminating the filler genotypes, Grriffing’s method 2 with mixed B model was used in the genetic analyses.

General and specific combining ability (GCA and SCA) mean squares were statistically significant for all traits studied. The ratios of GCA to SCA mean squares were greater than one for all traits, except for the number of seed rows per ear, indicating the importance of non-additive gene effects in their genetic control. Low heritability estimates and degrees of dominance lower than one were further evidence of the presence of non additive gene effects for all the traits studied, except for the number of seed rows per ear. Therefore, production of single cross hybrids in order to take advantage of non-additive gene effects is of prime importance for grain yield, number of seeds per ear row, l00-seed weight, seed length, ear length, and comb percentage. For genetic improvement of number of seed rows per ear, selection methods for parental lines will be more efficient. In the hybrids studied, number of seed per ear row and l00-seed weight played a more important role in the observed variations in yield. In general, hybrids 4×5 and 5×6 with high SCA for number of seed per ear row, l00-seed weight and grain yield were considered favorable for the conditions of this study.

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A diallel analysis of eight bread wheat (Ttriticum aestivum L.) cultivars was conducted to determine genetic parameters and the type of genetic control for yield and yield components. The parents and their F1 hybrids were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. General and specific combining ability effects were estimated by the method 2 of the Griffings model I, and the genetic parameters were estimated by the Jinks-Hayman method. According to the analysis of variance, the variances of parents and crosses were significant for all of the traits, except for the fertile tillers per plant in parents and harvest index in crosses. The variance of GCA was significant for almost all of the traits. GCA to SCA ratio indicated a large additive effects for all the traits, except for the number of fertile tillers, grain yield per plant and biological yield. Darab and Chamran cultivars were the excellent general combiners for days to heading. However, Falat for plant height, Arvand for number of fertile tillers, spike length and grain weight per spike, Qods and Arvand for spikeletes per spike, Falat and Arvand for grain yield per plant and Qods and Arvand cultivars for biological yield were the best general combiners. Based upon the Jinks-Hayman method, the average degree of dominance for grain weight per spike, 1000- grain weight, grain yield per plant and biological yield indicated that these traits might be controlled by over dominance effects and other traits by partial dominance. The correlation between Yr and (Wr + Vr) for the flag leaf length, spikeletes per spike, grains per spike and 1000-grain weight indicated that recessive allels enhanced these traits. But dominant allels had their contribution to enhance other traits. The narrow-sense heritability for grain yield per plant (4%) and biological yield (14%) and harvest index (37%) was lower. However, for other traits it was more than 50%. Therefore, it can be inferred that indirect selection of grain yield through selection for yield components such as spikeletes per spike, grains per spike and grain weight per spike with high heritability and correlation with grain yield can be more effective.

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To determine the genetic structure, general and specific combining ability of some important agronomic characters, eight rice cultivars including 5 lines and 3 testers were crossed in Rice Research Institute of Iran (RRII), at Rasht, in 2000. Parental lines and F₁ were planted in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications in the year 2001. Eleven important agronomic traits including yield and its components were recorded. Analysis of variances based on line×tester method showed that the mean squares for all traits were significant at 1% level. General combining ability (GCA) was positive and significant for grain yield in Khazar and Salary. Kanto and Salari have showed a negative and significant GCA for fertile tillers, as one of the most important yield components. Lines 213, 229 and Domsiah had negative and significant GCA for days to 50% of flowering. The lines with positive GCA can inherit those characters to progenies positively. While the lines with negative GCA can negatively transfer those characters to progenies. Estimation of components of genetic variance indicated that the number of fill grain per panicle and days to 50% of flowering were controlled by additive gene effects. It indicated that these traits can be transferred into progenies. For traits such as grain yield, fertile tillers and length of flag dominant gene effects was predominant.

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Diallel analysis was used to estimate the combining ability, gene action, gene number, heritabilties and other genetic parameters of a set of wheat genotypes. For this purpose, nine parents and their 36 crosses were evaluated for 9 traits in a randomized complete block design with three replications in 1996. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among all genotypes for all traits. Estimates of general and specific combining ability mean squares based on Griffing’s Method 2 indicated the importance of additive and non additive effects in the expression of all traits. Alvand and Roshan cultivars for grain yield per plant, Alvand for grain number per main spike and main spike weight, and Alvand and Alamoot for 1000 grain weight were the best combiners, thus use of them is beneficial for these traits. Based on the estimates of average degree of dominance and results of graphical analysis, the gene action for grain number and spikeletes per main spike were partial dominance, while for grain yield per plant, biological yield, plant height, harvest index and 1000 grain weight, overdominance gene actions were observed. Moreover, genotypic correlation coefficients of grain yield per plant with grain number per main spike, 1000 grain weight, grain weight per main spike and main spike weight were positive and significant.

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Half diallel crosses of eight bread wheat cultivars were used to estimate the genetic parameters and types of genetic control for yield and yield components, and to determine the effects of environmental factors on these parameters. Parents and their F2 hybrids were grown in a randomized block design under irrigated and stressed (terminal drought) conditions. For all traits, except for number of spikelets per spike and number of grain per spike, the effect of environment (irrigated v.s stressed) and genotype by environment interaction were significant. The mean square of GCA for all characters was significant in both environments, except for number of fertile tillers in the irrigated condition and grain yield in the stressed conditions. The mean square of SCA was significant for plant height only in the irrigated condition, while for number of fertile tillers and grain yield it was significant in both conditions. The high significant ratios of GCA to SCA mean square indicated the importance of additive genetic effects on controlling plant height, spike length number of grain per spike in both environments and number of spikelets per spike in the stressed condition. The parameter estimation revealed partial dominance gene actions for plant height, spike length and grain per spike in both environments, and number of spikelets per spike in stressed environment, whereas over-dominance gene actions were observed for the other traits in one or both conditions.

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Half diallel crosses of nine Iranian wheat cultivars were used to estimate the general and specific combining ability effects and other genetic parameters related to yield and its components. Parents with F2 generations were evaluated at Research Farm, College of Agriculture, University of Shahrekord, in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Partitioning of genotypes mean squares to GCA and SCA mean squares based on Griffing’s method 2 and mixed model indicated high significant differences among cultivars in their GCA values for all traits. There were significant differences among crosses in their SCA values for all traits except for flag leaf length, main spike length, plant height and grain yield per plant. The high ratio of GCA to SCA mean squares implied the importance of additive gene effects in the appearance of flag leaf length , main spike length, plant height and grain yield per plant. For flag leaf width, grain number per main spike and peduncle length , the contributions of additive gene effects and for peduncle weight, the contributions of non- additive gene effects were higher. According to the estimates of average degree of dominance, the gene actions for flag leaf length, flag leaf width, plant height, grain yield per plant, main spike length, peduncle length and peduncle weight were partial dominance. The GCA effects indicated that Sefid – Aliabad cultivar was the suitable general combiner for flag leaf length , flag leaf width, plant height , grain yield per plant , main spike length and peduncle length.

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Sainfoin in believed as an important forage crop regarding its suitable agronomical characteristics and feeding livestock. Evaluation of general combining ability is a critical preliminary stage before selection of suitable parent and production of synthetic varieties. Thirty six sainfoin landraces which have been collected from different parts of Iran were grown in 2000 in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with 24 replications as a polycross nursery. The resulting polycrosses were sown in 2001 in a triple lattice design. Characters such as fresh forage yield per plot based on unit length, fresh forage yield per plant, and dry forage yield for each cutting stage and for the whole season were measured. Also a yield index for the two first cuttings and forage palatability for the second cutting were determined. Results showed that there was no significant difference between partial blocks within each replication and therefore data was analyzed based on RCBD. High heritability was observed for forage palatability, yield index, and fresh forage yield per plant. So selection can be made to improve forage yield and palatibility in sainfoin. In terms of general combining ability, six landraces for fresh forage yield, six landraces for dry forage yield, nine landraces for yield index, and ten landraces for palatibility showed high estimates. The lanraces having highest amounts of general combining ability for each variable can be used as suitable parents to produce synthetic varieties of sainfoin.

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Six rice cultivars were crossed in half diallel design to evaluate their GCA and SCA in 2005. In the following year, parents and their progenies were grown in a randomized complete block design with three replications, and 10 traits were measured. The analysis of variance showed significant differences (p≤0.01) between cultivars. Furthermore, general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) for parents and hybrids were significant. Therefore, additive and non-additive gene effects on controlling traits were demonstrated. According to the analysis based on the second and fourth Griffing methods, additive gene effects were more than non-additive gene effects on controlling growth period, plant height, panicle length, number of panicles/plant and brown rice length, while other studied traits were more controlled by non-additive gene effects. Comparison of the second and fourth Griffing methods showed that the proportions of additive and non-additive variances in two methods were different. Moreover, GCA and SCA resulting from the two methods for several traits such as vegetative and productive growth period, plant height, number of filled grains/panicle and grain yield were significant. Therefore, it could be concluded that using parental generations in the second Griffing method may cause biased estimate of the GCA and SCA variances. Thus, using the fourth Griffing method is more suitable than the other methods in providing time, cost and facilities, and is recommended as an applicable method.

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Six morphological traits of rice were evaluated in a 5 × 5 one-way diallel cross using a randomized complete block design corresponding with their F1 generations in 2007 at Iranian Rice Research Institute – Amol. Results from analysis of variance for traits of plant height, flag leaf angle, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, internode length and panicle length exhibited significant genetic differences among parental cultivars and their hybrids. Significant means of squares for GCA and SCA showed the positive actions of additive and non-additive effects on controlling these traits. Also, ratio of mean squares of GCA on SCA ( ) were significant in all traits that showing a higher importance for role of additive effects in comparison with role of non-additive effects in functions of genes controlling the studied traits. High narrow sense heritability of these traits proved majority roles for additive effects of genes in genetic control of the studied characteristics therefore, selection of these triats may be succeed. Overall, both of Neda and IR62871-175-1-10 were the best parents for general combining ability for reducting plant height, flag leaf length and internode length and increasing flag leaf width. Meanwhile, because of higher SCA, Neda × Binam and Neda × Dasht were the best hybrids for increasing spike length and decreasing height, respectively.