EVALUATION OF RECIPROCAL CROSS POPULATIONS FOR SPIKE-RELATED TRAITS IN EARLY CONSECUTIVE GENERATIONS OF BREAD WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

Breeding effort on increasing grain yield of wheat will incessantly continue because it is indispensable product. Obtaining the genetic information such as genotypic variation, heritability, genetic advance is the fundamental components of these studies. It is important that the maternal effects are put forward throughout successive generations because of genotypic and/or environmental effects as far as variation. This research was conducted to investigate changes of reciprocal crosses throughout successive generations and determine selection criteria for high yield in early generations. For this purpose, the populations were analyzed with regard to genotypic and phenotypic variation coefficient, heritability, genetic advance and Unweighted Pair Group Method (UPGMA) cluster analysis for real crosses, reciprocals and all genotypes separately. According to the results, heritability and genetic advance values of traits investigated were highly varied throughout successive generations among real crosses, reciprocals and all genotypes. This finding indicated that non-additive gen effects or epitasis played a role in inheritance of all traits. Dissimilarity of crosses than their reciprocals indicated variation of successive generation. Dissimilarity value of each parent differed as generation progresses according to combination created. This condition suggested that there were maternal effects in this population throughout successive generations. Grain weight per spike, spike harvest index and spike density had high direct and indirect effects on the grain yield at all of three generations, it proved that these traits can be a selection criterion for early generations. Sana was the best parent and 'Bezostaja x Krasunia' and 'Krasunia x Pehlivan' were best performance in most of traits at all generations.