ISHS Acta Horticulturae 734: VIII International Symposium on Plum and Prune Genetics, Breeding and Pomology
HERITABILITIES OF SEEDLING TRAITS IN A PRUNUS DOMESTICA (L.) BREEDING POPULATION |
| Authors: | C. DeBuse, D.V. Shaw, T. DeJong |
| Keywords: | Prunus domestica, heritability, genetic correlation, plum breeding |
| Abstract:
Heritabilities of seedling growth traits were assessed in a California prune breeding population. A partial diallel design was created with 17 controlled crosses, using 18 parental trees within the UC Davis Prunus domestica elite breeding germplasm. The seedlings were grown in a greenhouse for two months followed by an additional eight months in an outdoor nursery planting. Trunk radius, tree height, combined branch and trunk length were measured and growth index ((radius)2 * height) was calculated after two months in the greenhouse. Trunk radius, tree height, tree fresh weight were measured and growth index ((radius)2 * height) was calculated after a subsequent eight months in a field nursery. Data for all traits were analyzed using restricted maximum likelihood (REML) to obtain estimates of genetic and environmental variances and these variances were used to calculate narrow-sense (h2) and broad-sense (H2) heritabilities. Heritabilities differed substantially among traits and over time. Heritabilities for two-month measurements were h2 = 0.23-0.47 and H2 = 0.44-0.60, whereas heritabilities for traits measured after eight months in the field were h2 = 0.08-0.27 and H2 = 0.13-0.27. The utility of these heritability estimates for designing optimal selection strategies depends on the relationship between seedling growth characteristics and traits of commercial importance, and on the consistency of trait expression at different life-cycle stages. | |
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