Abstract
SR52 is the first single cross maize hybrid to be commercialised in the world and forms the basis of maize breeding in Zimbabwe and Eastern and Southern Africa region. Although SR52 is such an exceptional hybrid, the genetic basis of its outstanding yield and heterosis has never been explained. Therefore genetic components of yield and associated traits in SR52 were studied using a generation mean analysis. Parents (P1 and P2), F1 and segregating F2 and backcross generations (BCP1 and BCP2) were evaluated. The experiment was laid out as a randomised complete block design with two replications across two sites in South Africa, during the 2012/2013 season. The study confirms high levels of heterosis exceeding 300 % for grain yield potential and revealed a significant lack of fit of the additive–dominance model for yield and most secondary traits. Consequently, the role of epistasis was investigated by partitioning it into additive × additive , additive × dominance and dominance × dominance gene effects. The full model confirmed presence of epistasis of highly significant (P ≤ 0.01) additive × additive nature for grain yield though negligible in magnitude (<10 %). Both dominance and additive gene effects were highly significant for yield and associated traits. However, dominance gene action contributed over 80 % to grain yield potential. Additive and additive × additive gene effects played a significant but minor role for grain yield potential (less than 20 %). We therefore concluded that dominance gene action is the basis for exceptional heterosis displayed by SR52.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alumira J, Rusike J (2005) The green revolution in Zimbabwe. Electron J Agric Dev Econ 2:50–66
Amiruzzaman M, Islam M, Hassan L, Rohman M (2010) Combining ability and heterosis for yield and component characters in maize. Acad J Plant Sci 3:79–84
Azizi F, Rezai A, Saeidi G (2006) Generation mean analysis to estimate genetic parameters for different traits in two crosses of corn inbred lines at three planting densities. J Agric Sci Technol 8:153–169
Betran F, Ribaut J, Beck D, De Leon DG (2003) Genetic diversity, specific combining ability, and heterosis in tropical maize under stress and nonstress environments. Crop Sci 43:797–806
Borras S, Franco J (2010) Towards a broader view of the politics of global land grab: rethinking land issues, reframing resistance. Initiatives in Critical Agrarian Studies Working Paper Series 001. Amsterdam Transitional Institute (TNI)
Castellanos JS, Córdova HS, Srinivasan G, Quemé JL, Rincón F, Preciado E, Alvarado G, López R (2009) Exploiting modified single crosses in maize (Zea mays L.) to facilitate hybrid use in developing countries. Maydica 54:77–90
Ceballos H, Pandey S, Narro L, Perez-Velazquez J (1998) Additive, dominant, and epistatic effects for maize grain yield in acid and non-acid soils. Theor Appl Genet 96:662–668
Checa O, Ceballos H, Blair MW (2006) Generation Mean analysis of climbing ability in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). J Hered 97:456–465
Dowswell C, Paliwal R, Cantrell R (1996) Maize in the third world Boulder. Westview Press, Boulder
Falconer AR (1989) Introduction to quantitative genetics, 3rd edn. Longman, New York
FAO (2013) Area of maize harvested (tonnes) and production quantity (ha) in 2012. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Rome, Rome
Fehr WR (1991) Principles of cultivar development. Macmillan Publishing Co, New York, Theory and Technique
Frascaroli E, Canè MA, Landi P, Pea G, Gianfranceschi L, Villa M, Morgante M, Pè ME (2007) Classical genetic and quantitative trait loci analyses of heterosis in a maize hybrid between two elite inbred lines. Genetics 176:625–644
George M, Salazar F, Warburton M, Narro L, Vallejo F (2011) Genetic distance and hybrid value in tropical maize under P stress and non stress conditions in acid soils. Euphytica 178:99–109
Hallauer AR, Carena MJ, Miranda Filho JB (2010) Quantitative genetics in maize breeding. Springer, New York
Hinze LL, Lamkey KR (2003) Absence of epistasis for grain yield in elite maize hybrids. Crop Sci 43:46–56
Hiremath N, Shantakumar G, Adiger S, Malkannavar L, Gangashetty P (2013) Heterosis breeding for maturity, yield and quality characters in maize (Zea mays L.). Mol Plant Breeding 4:44–49
Kang MS (1994) Applied quantitative genetics. Department of Agronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, p 157
Kere GM, Guo Q, Shen J, Xu J, Chen J (2013) Heritability and gene effects for salinity tolerance in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L). estimated by generation mean analysis. Sci Hortic 159:122–127
Kustanto H, Sugiharto AN, Kasno A (2012) Study on heterosis and genetic distance of S6 inbred lines of maize. J Agric Food Technol 2:118–125
Lyimo HJF, Pratt RC, Mnyuku RSW (2011) Heritability and gene effect estimates for components of partial resistance to grey leaf spot of maize by generation mean analysis. Plant Breeding 130:633–639
Magorokosho C, Vivek B, MacRobert J (2009) Characterization of maize germplasm grown in eastern and southern Africa : results of the 2008 regional trials coodinated by CIMMYT. CIMMYT, Harare
Malvar RA, Revill P, Moreno-González J, Butron A, Sotelo J, Ordás A (2008) White maize: genetics of quality and agronomic performance. Crop Sci 48:1373–1381
Mather K, Jinks JL (1971) Biometrical Genetics. Cornell University Press, Ithaca
Mather K, Jinks JL (1982) Biometrical genetics: the study of continuous variation, 3rd edn. Chapman and Hall, UK
McCann J (2009) Maize and grace: Africa’s encounter with a New World crop, 1500-2000. Harvard University Press, USA
Mickelson HR, Cordova H, Pixley KV, Bjarnason MS (2001) Heterotic relationships among nine temperate and subtropical maize populations. Crop Sci 41:1012–1020
Mihaljevic R, Utz HF, Melchinger AE (2005) No evidence for epistasis in hybrid and per Se performance of elite european flint maize inbreds from generation means and QTL analyses. Crop Sci 45:2605–2613
Mushongi AA, Derera J, Tongoona P, Lyimo NG (2013) Generation mean analysis of leaf chlorophyll concentration from mid-silking to physiological maturity in some tropical maize Zea mays L genotypes under low and high nitrogen dosages. Euphytica 189:111–122
Ndhela T (2012) Improvement strategies for yield potential, disease resistance and draught tolerance in Zimbabwean maize inbsred lines. Dissertation, University of the Free State
Paschold A, Marcon C, Hoecker N, Hochholdinger F (2010) Molecular dissection of heterosis manifestation during early maize root development. Theor Appl Genet 120:383–388
Piepho HP, Mohring J (2010) Generation means analysis using mixed models. Crop Sci 50:1674–1680
Rattray A (1988) Maize breeding and seed production in Zimbabwe up to 1970. Proceedings of the Eighth South African Maize Breeding Symposium, Technical Communication, pp 14–16
SAS Institute Inc. (2012) Cary, NC, USA
Schroeder C, Onyango TKO, Nar RB, Jick N, Parzies H, Gemenet D (2013) Potentials of hybrid maize varieties for small-holder farmers in Kenya: a review based on Swot analysis. African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development 13
Shahrokhi M, Khorasani SK, Ebrahimi A (2011) Generation mean analysis for yield and yield components in maize (Zea mays L.). J Plant Physiol Breeding. 1:59–72
Shull GH (1908) The composition of a field of maize. J Hered 1:296–301
Sibiya J, Tongoona P, Derera J, van Rij N, Makanda I (2011) Combining ability analysis for Phaeosphaeria leaf spot resistance and grain yield in tropical advanced maize inbred lines. Field Crops Research 120:86–93
Sofi P, Rather A (2007) Studies on genetic variability, correlation and path analysis in maize (Zea mays L.). Maize and Genetics Cooperation Newsletter 81:26
Springer NM, Stupar RM (2007) Allelic variation and heterosis in maize: how do two halves make more than a whole? Genome Res 17:264–275
Steel GD, Torrie JH (1980) Principles and Procedures of statistics: a biometrical approach. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York
Tattersfield JR (1982) The role of Research in increasing Food Crop Potential in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Science News 16:6-10 and 24
Viana JMS (2000) Generation mean analysis in relation to polygenic systems with epistasis and fixed genes. Psesquisa Agropecuaria Brasileria 35:1159–1167
Viana JMS (2005) Dominance, epistasis, heritabilities and expected genetic gains. Genet Mol Biol 28:67–74
Waddington S, Karigwindi J, Chifamba J (1997) CIMMYT maize soil fertility and agronomy research in Southern Africa. CIMMYT, Texcoco
Yeboah MA, Xuenhao C, Guohua L, Minghong G, Chenwu X (2008) Inheritance of waterlogging tolerance in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Euphytica 162:145–154
Zalapa JE, Staub JE, McCreight JD (2006) Generation means analysis of plant architectural traits and fruit yield in melon. Plant Breeding 125:482–487
Zdunic Z, Mijic A, Dugalic K, Simic D, Brkic J, Marijanovic-Jeromela A (2008) Genetic analysis of grain yield and starch content in nine maize populations. Tur J Agric For 32:495–500
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the Crop Breeding Institute (CBI) of Zimbabwe for providing seed of SR52 for the study. We also thank Ms Fikile N.P. Qwabe for supporting seed production nurseries at Makhathini Research Station in South Africa. Use of Cedara and Makhathini Research Stations is sincerely acknowledged.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Derera, J., Musimwa, T.R. Why SR52 is such a great maize hybrid? I. Heterosis and generation mean analysis. Euphytica 205, 121–135 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-015-1410-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-015-1410-7