Premium
Heritability of Soluble Proteins in Alfalfa 1
Author(s) -
Gutek L. H.,
Goplen B. P.,
Howarth R. E.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1976.0011183x001600020008x
Subject(s) - heritability , biology , medicago sativa , storage protein , fraction (chemistry) , cultivar , offspring , zoology , botany , genetics , gene , chemistry , chromatography , pregnancy
This study was conducted to assess the feasibility of breeding alfalfa cultivars with low soluble protein concentrations as a means of reducing the bloat‐causing potential of alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.). Narrow‐sense heritability estimates were obtained for soluble fraction I, fraction II, and total soluble protein concentrations in alfalfa. Heritability estimates (h 2 ) were based on the parent‐offspring regression method using data from 32 unselected clones and their open‐pollination progenies. The h 2 estimates for the soluble proteins for 1972 and 1973 were as follows: soluble fraction I (19 and 20%), soluble fraction II (19 and 27%), total soluble protein (23 and 31%). These relatively low heritability estimates indicate that it should be possible to lower the soluble protein content of alfalfa by consecutive cycles of recurrent selection procedures involving well‐replicated progeny tests.