A diallel crossing approach aimed on selection for ripening time and yield in breeding of new strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cultivars

Abstract

The extension of the ripening season in open field production is of high economic interest for strawberry growers. Therefore, targeted breeding for extreme early or late ripening cultivars with high yield potential is of particular interest. Thirteen strawberry cultivars were crossed in a reciprocal way without selfing, and the 144 resulting F1 populations were evaluated in a field trial over a period of two consecutive years. The data were analysed using a mixed‐model approach adapted for diallel crossing designs using SAS 9.3. The variability in the crossing approach is mainly based on the general combining ability (GCA) of the cultivars (additive effects). Specific and reciprocal combining abilities (non‐additive effects) appear less important. The highest GCAs for the trait Marketable Yield were found for the cultivars ‘Polka’ and ‘Yamaska’. The trait Earliness is bilateral with significantly low GCAs for early ripening in ‘Clery’ and ‘Daroyal’ and significantly high GCAs for late ripening in ‘Yamaska’ and ‘Florence’. Crosses with these cultivars are likely to deliver populations with both high yield and an extended ripening period.

Sugar content analysis and expression profiling of sugar related genes in contrasting Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) cultivars

“…Fragaria × ananassa, the cultivated strawberry evolved by hybridization between F. virginiana and F. chiloensis, is globally cultivated fruit crop (Molina-Hidalgo et al 2013;Bestfleisch et al 2014). It is the rich source of health-promoting phytonutrients (e.g., vitamin C, vitamin B-6, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin-E and folate, etc.…”

“…Strawberry is thus widely consumed, fresh or in processed forms, making it one of the economically and commercially more important fruit crop and the most studied berries from the agronomic, genomic, and nutritional characteristics (Giampieri et al 2013). Many conventional and biotechnological approaches were applied to develop the stress tolerance, high quality and flavored strawberry cultivars (Molina-Hidalgo et al 2013;Bestfleisch et al 2014).…”

Breeding value of selected blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) genotypes for early-age fruit yield and its quality

“…The GCA of a parent for the trait under consideration determines its ability to pass on the average level of this trait to its progeny (Baker 1978;Vieira et al 2009), and the GCA effect is a measure of the additive effect of the parental genes on this trait (Griffing 1956a, b). The use of parental forms with significantly positive GCA effects for a given trait markedly increases the probability of obtaining hybrid progeny with the desired values of this trait (Bestfleisch et al 2014;Masny et al 2016a, b;. SCA refers to a pair of parental forms and is the interaction of both parents in the genetic determination of the trait under consideration, revealed in their progeny (Griffing 1956a, b;Baker 1978).…”

“…Thus, the SCA effect is the result of non-additive action of genes (domination and epistasis). It represents the difference between the mean value of the trait revealed in progeny (full siblings of two parental forms) and the sum of GCA effects for these parental forms (Bestfleisch et al 2014). The GCA and SCA effects of parents evaluated in factorial or diallel mating designs are measures of their breeding value for the traits under consideration, i.e.…”

“…The GCA and SCA effects of parents evaluated in factorial or diallel mating designs are measures of their breeding value for the traits under consideration, i.e. the usefulness of the parents in breeding programmes focused on improving these traits in new cultivars (Baker 1978;Bestfleisch et al 2014;). The probability of success in selecting the most efficient parents in a breeding programme will be further enhanced if the SCA of particular parental combinations is also considered when only genetic variation exists in a breeding gene pool.…”