Estimates of Quantitative Genetic Parameters m IAP2B(M) Random-Mating Sorghum Population

Authors

A. J. Maves, Garst Seed Co., Inc.Follow
R. E. Atkins, Iowa State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Research

Keywords

Sorghum bicolor L. Moench, agronomic traits, breeding systems, mass selection

Abstract

Random-mating populations of sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] are used extensively as germ plasm in the development of parental lines for hybrids. Populations improved by recurrent selection provide a useful source for the selection of superior parental lines. Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of mass selection for threshed-panicle weight by comparing the performance of lines (S₁ families) chosen randomly from CO and C4 of sorghum population IAP2B. Sixty S₁ families from each cycle were grown in five Iowa environments.

Four cycles of selection for panicle weight shifted the mean for grain yield favorably, and the range among families was extended. Increased values in C4 also were observed for seeds/panicle, 100-seed weight, days to midbloom, and plant height, but panicles/plant decreased. Genotypic variance among S₁ families increased from CO to C4 for grain yield and days to midbloom. Heritability estimates for grain yield also increased from CO to C4. Expected gain/year for grain yield by using S₁ family selection increased from 2.0% of the mean for CO data to 3.2% for C4.

Correlation coefficients indicated that selection for individual-panicle grain weight also influenced other characters. Correlations changed substantially in a positive direction from CO to C4 for grain yield vs. seeds/panicle and grain yield vs. panicles/plant, but they changed in a negative manner for grain yield vs. 100-seed weight. IAP2B(M) should prove useful for developing female parents with a wide array of gene combinations. Higher estimates of genotypic variance and heritability for grain yield in C4 compared to CO, as well as greater expected gain in C4 from S₁ family selection, indicated that further improvement of the population should be expected with additional cycles of selection.

Publication Date

September 1991

Journal Title

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

98

Issue

3

First Page

139

Last Page

144

Copyright

© Copyright 1991 by the Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

EN

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Maves, A. J. and Atkins, R. E. (1991) "Estimates of Quantitative Genetic Parameters m IAP2B(M) Random-Mating Sorghum Population," Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS, 98(3), 139-144.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/jias/vol98/iss3/8