We present a theoretical proof that the ratio of the dominance vs. the additive variance decreases with increasing genetic divergence between two populations. While the dominance variance is the major component of the variance due to specific combining ability (s 2 SCA ), the additive variance is the major component of the variance due to general combining ability (s 2 GCA ). Therefore, we conclude that interpopulation improvement becomes more efficient with divergent than with genetically similar heterotic groups, because performance of superior hybrids can be predicted on the basis of general combining ability effects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.