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Absence of Epistasis for Grain Yield in Elite Maize Hybrids
Author(s) -
Hinze Lori L.,
Lamkey Kendall R.
Publication year - 2003
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/cropsci2003.4600
Subject(s) - epistasis , hybrid , biology , diallel cross , backcrossing , inbred strain , grain yield , heterosis , zea mays , agronomy , genetics , gene
Certain maize ( Zea mays L.) inbred lines are more successful than others in forming elite hybrids. This study was conducted to determine whether epistatic interactions play a significant role in hybrid performance. Statistical epistasis was measured with a modified generation means model using testcrosses. Six progeny generations (P 1 , P 2 , F 1 , F 2 , and a backcross from the F 1 to each parent) were produced for all possible hybrids of a five‐parent diallel in both the Iowa Stiff Stalk Synthetic (BSSS) and non‐BSSS heterotic groups. Two testers were hybridized to each of the 10 possible hybrid progeny sets in both groups. Each testcross progeny set was evaluated in 10 environments. The nonepistatic model accounted for a large amount of the variation in generation means and fit the data well. Of the 40 maize testcross progeny sets studied, five resulted in a significant epistatic effect for grain yield. Four of the significant epistatic effects showed evidence of linkage, while one was due to unlinked epistatic effects. Our results suggest that parents in a hybrid cross need to be significantly different and testers need to bring out those differences to detect epistasis better by means of testcross generation means.