II.22. Genetic studies of some quantitative characters of barley.
V. T. Manzjuk and P. N. Barsukov, Ukrainian Institut of Plant Industry, Breeding and Genetics, Kharkov, U.S.S.R.
Studies on quantitative character variations in 20 barley hybrids and their 15 parents showed that less variable parental characters were such as: main ear length (10,0%), spikelet number (6,2%), kernel number of main ear (5,5%) and weight of 1000 kernels (8,0%). Greatly variable were characters such as; productive bushiness (35,1%) and seed weight per plant (25,0%).
Variability of F1 hybrid characters was slightly increased although the type of variability remained practically the same as parental one. Variability increased to greater extent in F2 which is easy to explain by transgression often observed in splitting of quantitative characters. Objective laws typical for variability of individual parental characters remained in F2, too.
High level of heritability was typical for characters such as: time of heading (h2 = 0,831), plant height (h2 = 0,742) and weight of 1000 kernels (h2 = 0,785); medium heritability level was typical for characters such as; number of spikelets (h2 = 0,356), number of spike kernel (h2 = 0,310) and main ear kernel weight (h2 = 0,356); low heritability level was typical for characters such as; productive bushiness (h2 = 0,114) and seed weight per plant (h2 = 0,104).
Correlation analysis of hybrid yield components showed that characters most closely related to plant performance were such as; productive bushiness (r = 0,75), seed number per spike and seed number per plant (r = 0,70 and r = 0,90, respectively), to lesser extent - weight of 1000 kernels (r - 0,23).
It has been found in this study on heritability of economic useful characters of barley that the most important role for yield formation in barley played the optimal combination of main yield components such as; productive bushiness, weight of 1000 kernels, and weight and number of seed per ear.
The most productive proved to be only those hybrid combinations which were superior to the best yielded parent at least by three of these characters.
References:
Barsukov, P. N. 1969. Productivity and seed quality of barley hybrids. (in Russian). In: Selektsija i semenovodstOv. V. 11:64-68. Kiev, U.S.S.R.