Estimates of Genetic Variability in F2 Maize Populations

Authors

Geng-Chen Han, Iowa State University
A. R. Hallauer, Iowa State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Research

Keywords

Zea mays L., Corn, Quantitative traits, Intermating, Linkage effects, Breeding methods

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) breeders emphasize selection within F₂ populations derived from crosses of inbred lines: Studies of the inheritance of quantitative traits in maize have been conducted primarily for generically broad-based populations. Objectives of our study were to estimate the generic variability in F₂ populations developed from crosses of related and unrelated lines and to determine the effects of five generations of random intermating of plants within F₂ populations on the estimates of genetic variability. Estimates of additive genetic variability were greater in the unrelated line crosses, but the estimates were not significantly different before and after random intermating within both crosses. Estimates of dominance variance decreased with random mating, suggesting that linkage effects were affecting the estimates. For applied breeding programs, it seems that adequate genetic variability was available in both types of crosses and that five generations of random intermating were not effective for increasing genetic variability.

Publication Date

March 1989

Journal Title

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

96

Issue

1

First Page

14

Last Page

19

Copyright

© Copyright 1989 by the Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

EN

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Han, Geng-Chen and Hallauer, A. R. (1989) "Estimates of Genetic Variability in F2 Maize Populations," Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS, 96(1), 14-19.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/jias/vol96/iss1/5