The combining ability (hybrid performance) of breeding lines is often determined to measure selection progress for yield. Plant breeders utilize this information to develop breeding lines with higher combining ability. The objectives of this study were to measure the specific combining ability for yield traits over three selection cycles from four pickling cucumber populations with Gy 14, a popular pickling cucumber inbred; and to determine the change in specific combining ability for yield traits in four populations improved through recurrent selection. Four pickling cucumber populations, North Carolina wide base pickle (NCWBP), medium base pickle (NCMBP), elite pickle 1 (NCEP1), and hardwickii 1 (NCH1), were developed and improved through modified half-sib selection from 1983 to 1992 to improve yield per se and fruit quality in each population. Eleven families were randomly selected from each of 3 selection cycles (early, intermediate, advanced) from each populations and were hybridized to Gy 14. Plants were sprayed with Paraquat to defoliate them and to simulate once-over harvest. The experiment was a randomized complete-block design with 22 replications per population arranged in a split plot with the four populations as whole plots and the three cycles as subplots. The combining ability for fruit quality rating of NCWBP and NCMBP increased as the number of selection cycles increased. Conversely, selection for higher yield per se decreased the combining ability of the NCEP1 population for improved fruit quality. In most instances, the combining ability of each population exhibited a constant response over selection cycles for each measured yield trait.
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of mild mass selection for adaptation on the performance, genotypic variance, combining ability, S1 family-testcross correlation, and midparent heterosis of S1 families derived from a sweet corn (su) × tropical maize (Zea mays L.) composite (Composite 1R). Four cycles of random mating followed by 10 cycles of 10% stratified mass selection were conducted for earliness, plant and ear type, and freedom from pests. Selection significantly (P < 0.01) decreased plant height, ear height, percentage barrenness, and ear length, and significantly (P < 0.01) increased stalk breakage, earliness (Celsius heat units to 50% anthesis and silking), and kernel row number of both S1 families and their testcrosses. Juvenile plant height at 45 days after planting increased in testcrosses only. Percentage tip blanking and pericarp thickness did not change. For most traits, the greatest response occurred during the first five of 10 selection cycles. Cycle 10 testcrosses performed at least as well as elite check testcrosses for eight of 10 traits. The tropical parents improved combining ability for increased juvenile plant height and kernel row number, and decreased percentage of stalk breakage. As a result of selection, genotypic variance among S families decreased by >40% for heat units to 50% anthesis and silking, ear height, and percentage of barrenness, although for all traits measured, significant genotypic variation persisted following 10 cycles of mass selection for adaptation. S1-testcross correlations and percentage midparent heterosis tended to be consistent across selection cycles. Five cycles of mild stratified mass selection increased the adaptation of a temperate sweet corn × tropical maize composite to the temperate zone of the United States while maintaining significant genotypic variation.
Nance [Byrsonima crassifolia (L.) HBK.] is a tropical fruit cultivated along the coastal areas of Mexico. Nance consumption has increased due to its versatility, as it can be used as fresh fruit, refreshments, and alcoholic beverages and also for preparing fruit rolls, bottled drinks, jellies, syrup, ice cream, and cakes. However, the broad variation in fruit quality parameters, like juice acidity, total soluble solids, skin color, and size, seems to limit its use. Since fruit quality can be influenced by the parameter used, multivariate canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) was used to discriminate among nance selections. The objective of this study was to find the best quality indices using physical and chemical fruit characteristics from eight nance selections cultivated in the state of Nayarit, Mexico. Six physical and five chemical variables of fruit quality were studied to determine the relative contribution of each variable to the discrimination between nance selections. Two canonical discriminant functions (CDF1 and CDF2) explained >80% of the accumulated variation among nance selections. The total soluble solids (TSS) to titratable acidity (TA) ratio was dominant on the CDF1 (standardized canonical coefficient = 2.46), therefore, this ratio could be used as the best quality index to select nance fruit. The following TSS to TA values are proposed to classify the nance selections studied: a) 5.1 to 8 as sour fruit (Sour-small and Purple selections), b) 8.1 to 10 as sweet-sour fruit (Conical, Improved, Sweet-sour-1, Sweet-sour-2, and Sweet-sour-3 selections), and c) >10 as sweet fruit (Sangunga selection).
Abstract
Seedlings from a diallel set of crosses of inbred and noninbred strawberry (Fragaria X ananassa Duch.) selections resistant to Phytophthora fragariae Hickman were inoculated with the 5 principal Eastern U. S. races of the fungus. The inbred selections, when selfed or intercrossed to other inbreds or to the noninbreds, did not transmit resistance to a greater portion of their progeny than the control cross, a cross of 2 noninbreds. Specific combining ability was found to be important in transmission of resistance to progeny.
Abstract
Nectary development in cytoplasmic male sterile (cms) Brassica campestris L. was partially restored through 3 cycles of selection for nectary size and number. No major anatomical differences between nectaries of normal and cms plants were apparent under light and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). Half-sib family analysis of nectary development showed negligible additive genetic variance but a prominent maternal effect. Differential response to selection observed in 3 pedigrees suggests the possibility of capitalizing on nuclear-cytoplasmic diversity for the improvement of nectary function.
Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) genotypes retained for resistance to Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae Kleb.) after two cycles of a two-stage (TS) selection procedure consisting of full-sib family selection followed by within-family selection of individuals, and genotypes retained for resistance using genotypic mass (GM) selection were crossed to a common set of moderately susceptible genotypes. The relative resistance of the seedlings from these progenies was compared using a resistance score and the percentage of stunted plants. Although the two sets of resistant parents had performed similarly in genotypic comparisons, those genotypes selected using the TS procedure yielded test cross offspring with significantly higher resistance scores (X̄ = 3.84 ± 0.09 vs. X̄ = 3.46 ± 0.09, t = 3.11**) and significantly lower rates of plant stunting (X̄ = 38.1% ± 3.1 vs. X̄ = 50.2% ± 2.9, t = 2.87**) than the parents chosen using GM selection. Further resolution using analysis of variance and general combining ability (GCA) estimates showed that these between-set differences resulted from higher resistance breeding values for parents selected using the TS procedure. The five genotypes with largest GCA for resistance score and four of the five genotypes with minimum GCA for percentage stunting were obtained by TS selection.
Ten cycles of simple mass selection for increased field emergence and kernel weight in a population of shrunken2 (sh2) maize affected various kernel and seedling traits. Ten of 29 variables measured were intercorrelated and were included in the first principal factor of a principal component, factor analysis. The eight variables in factor 1 that increased with cycles of selection were: emergence and kernel weight (the two selection criteria) plant height 41 days after planting (a measure of seedling vigor), uniformity of stand, total starch content per kernel total carbohydrate content per kernel, concentration of starch, and starch content per kernel. The two variables in factor 1 that decreased were: conductivity of electrolytes that leached from imbibing seeds and symptomatic infection of kernels by fungi. Factor 1 was a “seed and seedling quality” factor. The other 19 variables formed five principal factors that primarily were “sugar,” “pericarp,” and “asymptomatic fungal infection” factors. These five factors and the variables from which they were formed, were not affected by selection. These results suggest that seed and seedling quality factors can be improved by selection in a sh2 population without affecting sweetness or tenderness. These results also suggest that although selection for increased emergence and kernel weight lowered the incidence of symptomatic infection by fungi, the population was not improved specifically for resistance to Fusarium moniliforme Sheldon.
Strawberry genotypes were retained from biparental progenies previously identified as either relatively susceptible or resistant to wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae based on a phenotypic resistance score. Runner plants from these selected genotypes were inoculated with a conidial suspension containing a mixture of five isolates obtained from symptomatic strawberry plants at 106 conidia/mL, then scored for disease symptoms. Genotypes from resistant progenies had significantly higher phenotypic resistance scores (1 = severe symptoms, 5 = no detectable symptoms) than those from susceptible progenies (4.15 vs. 2.23), and there also was a correlated selection response for the percent plants severely stunted or dead (26.4 and 69.1 for resistant and susceptible selections, respectively). Comparisons of the resistance scores for selected groups with those for the original parents (2.76) indicated that selection had changed relative resistance significantly in both directions and that realized response had been 24% to 43% larger than predicted for selection in both directions. Although several of the selections from resistant progenies were highly susceptible, five of the 21 resistant selections had resistance scores outside the range of the original parents, representing possible transgressive segregants. This comparison is limited by the precision with which individual resistance scores are estimated and by the scope of the disease symptoms in this trial. Detecting genotypes with sufficient resistance ultimately will depend on development of screening methods with greater sensitivity than those used here.
To increase yield in cucumber (Cucumussativus L.), we designed a recurrent selection program utilizing phenotypic (PHE) and marker-assisted (MAS) selection for the development of multiple lateral branching (MLB; branches per plant), gynoecious, early genotypes possessing high fruit length to diameter ratio (L:D). These yield components are under genetic control of few quantitative trait loci (QTL; 2-6 per trait), which have been placed on a moderately saturated molecular linkage map. Four inbred lines, complementary for the target traits, were intermated and the resulting population underwent MAS and PHE, as well as random mating (RAN), for three cycles. Selections by PHE were visually made for all four traits at the whole plant level. Selections based on MAS contained the highest number of desired marker genotypes from 20 marker loci (SSR, RAPD, SCAR, SNP). Using the same selection scheme and intensity allowed a direct comparison of MAS to PHE. Selection was equally effective for MLB and L:D by MAS (3.5 and 3.0) and PHE (3.6 and 3.0), which were both superior to RAN (2.8 and 2.8). For earliness (days to anthesis) and gynoecy (percent female), MAS (41.8 and 26.6) was less effective than PHE (40.5 and 81.8) and RAN (41.0 and 80.9), which were equal. For yield (fruit per plant), RAN (1.90) and MAS (1.88) were equal, but less than PHE (2.15). After three cycles of PHE, further selection by MAS identified superior genotypes, which were intermated. Superior hybrids were selected by MAS and underwent one backcross generation. In some backcrosses, gains were made in every trait compared to the PHE Cycle 3 mean, while in other backcrosses, gains were made only in some traits. Improvement by MAS was very effective during line extraction for these yield components.
The pawpaw [Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal] has great potential as a new fruit crop. A pawpaw variety trial was established in Fall 1995 in Princeton, Ky. as a joint Kentucky State Univ.-Univ. of Kentucky research effort with the objective to identify superior varieties for Kentucky. A randomized block experimental design was used with 8 replicates of 28 grafted scion selections on seedling rootstock. Cultivars being tested included Middletown, Mitchell, NC-1, Overleese, PA-Golden, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Sunflower, Susquehanna, Taylor, Tay-two, Wells, and Wilson. The other 15 clones were selections from the PawPaw Foundation. In 2002 and 2003, the following parameters were examined: tree survival, trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), average fruit weight, total fruit harvested per tree, average fruit per cluster, total yield per tree, and yield efficiency. In 2003, 54% of the trees had survived, with `Susquehanna' (13%) showing the poorest survival. Based on TCSA, most selections displayed excellent vigor, with the exception of the selections: 5-5 and `Overleese'. Average fruit weight was greatest in 1-7-2 (194 g), 1-68 (167g), 4-2 (321 g), 5-5 (225 g), 7-90 (166g), 9-58 (176 g), 10-35 (167 g), NC-1 (180 g), `Sunflower' (204 g), and `Shenandoah' (168g), with the smallest fruit in `Middletown' (70 g), `Wells' (78 g), and `Wilson' (88 g). The selections `Wilson' (81), `Middletown' (75), and `Wells' (70) had the greatest average number of fruit per tree, whereas 4-2 (9), 5-5 (17) and 8-20 (15) the fewest. Yield efficiency and average fruit per cluster also varied greatly among selections. Several pawpaw selections in the trial show promise for production in Kentucky.