Genetic analysis of heading date and other agronomic characters in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Abstract

Genetic analyses of heading date, tiller number, plant height, grain yield, kernel weight, and plump and thin kernels were made in three six-rowed barley crosses (Hordeum vulgare L.) involving four cultivars. Six populations, P₁ , P₂ , F₁ , F₂ , BC₁ , and BC₂ , from each cross were grown and evaluated at Fargo and Prosper, North Dakota, 1982. Parental means within crosses generally were different except for tiller number. Comparison of generation means suggested that late heading was dominant to early, high kernel weight was dominant to low, and kernel plumpness was influenced by additive gene action. The relationship between yield and heading date was not consistent among crosses and positive r values were quite low. It should be possible to select early maturing, high yielding segregates with plump kernels. Heterosis over the mid-parent was quite similar among crosses for heading date, but there was no heterosis over the high parent. Inbreeding depression was fairly constant for heading date, but was less consistent for yield. The lack of uniformity for estimates of inbreeding depression can be related to environmental variation and to its influence on type of gene action. The ratio of additive to dominance variance was inconsistent among crosses for heading date and yield. These data suggest selection for these characters should be delayed past the F 2 generation. Broad sense heritabilities for heading date ranged from 42 to 86%. Values obtained for grain yield were more consistent among broad sense than narrow sense estimates. Genetic advance estimates were low due to lack of additive variance.