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Heritability, Heterosis, and Maternal Effects of Alpha‐Amylase Activity in Barley
Author(s) -
Kaeppler Heidi F.,
Rasmusson Donald C.
Publication year - 1991
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/cropsci1991.0011183x003100060011x
Subject(s) - heterosis , heritability , biology , amylase , hordeum vulgare , maternal effect , cultivar , alpha amylase , agronomy , zoology , horticulture , poaceae , botany , genetics , enzyme , biochemistry , hybrid , pregnancy , offspring
Alpha‐amylase activity is an important quality factor in malting barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.), yet its inheritance is not well understood. Research was undertaken to determine the inheritance and to examine maternal and heterotic effects of α‐amylase activity. The F 1 and F 2 seeds from reciprocal crosses among barley cultivars grown in the greenhouse were evaluated for α‐amylase activity. Heritability of α‐amylase activity was estimated by measuring activities of seed from field growouts of parents and progeny. The Ceralpha α‐amylase assay method, coupled with a modified malting procedure, was used to determine α‐amylase activity levels of all seed samples in this study. Alpha‐amylase activities of F 1 seeds from reciprocal crosses were significantly different in two of three crosses. Activities of F 2 seeds from reciprocal crosses did not differ, indicating that the reciprocal differences in the F 1 were not cytoplasmicin origin but probably due to gene dosage. Average heterosis of α‐amylase activity of the F 1 's was 85% over the midparent and 47% over the high parent. In the F 2 generation, average percent heterosis over the midparent was 35%. Heritability of α‐amylase activity on an F 2 plant basis ranged from 0.37 to 0.65, while on an F 5 line basis it ranged from 0.39 to 0.74. Average gain from selection for α‐amylase activity in the F 2 and F 5 generations was 5.4 and 9.1 Ug −1 , respectively. Results indicate that selection for α‐amylase activity in populations of medium to wide genetic diversity should be successful in both early and advanced generations.