Analysis of combining ability of two-types of male sterile and four restorer lines of Zinnia elegans

Abstract

Eight cross combinations of Zinnia elegans were made using two recessive nuclear male sterile lines crossed with four restorers using the North Carolina Design II statistical method. Heterosis, combining ability and heritability was analysed using 12 horticultural traits and these demonstrated the advantage of heterosis in hybrid breeding of Zinnia elegans. Heterosis served to increase the number of whorls of ray florets across capitulum and the number of branches, and also decreased plant height, crown size, pedicel length and length of node. Thus, six horticultural traits were improved over mid parent and best parent status to fulfill major breeding goals of this herbaceous flower. The traits of plant height, number of whorls of ray florets across capitulum and pedicel length were primarily controlled by paternal additive effects, whereas crown size was mainly controlled by non-additive effects. Number of branches and length of node were affected both by paternal additive effects and non-additive effects. The ratio of general combining ability to specific combining ability indicated the importance of additive genes in the expression of these traits. Among the parental lines, AH003A and restorer A3 were chosen as primary female and male combiners, respectively. AH001A and restorer S5 were chosen as secondary combiners. The cross AH003A 9 A3 was determined as the most promising combination for producing potted plant characteristics, and AH001A 9 S5 was the best hybrid obtained in this study for cut flower traits. The analysis of combining ability for the parental lines showed that there was no causal relationship between general combining ability and specific combining ability effects.

Evaluation of combining ability in ornamental sunflower for floral and morphological traits

“…with the results obtained in other ornamental plants, such as gladiolus (Kumar et al 2008) and zinnia for plant height (Lou et al 2010). Our findings were also supported by the findings of Goksoy et al (2000) showing similar results for plant height in oil sunflower, while Ćirić et al (2013) suggested opposite results for plant height in oil sunflower.…”

Estimation of Heterosis and Combining Ability in Petunia (Petunia hybrida Hort.)

“…For other traits the magnitude of GCA variances was however higher than SCA variances which revealed preponderance of additive gene action for these traits (Tab. 2), which is in accordance with the results of Ahmad et al (2009) in tomato, Hemanthkumar et al (2008) in gladiolus, Hussein and Misiha (1978) in petunia and Lou et al (2010) in zinnia. Romanus et al (2008) and also Satija and Thukral (1985) have provided evidence for the greater importance of additive gene action in hybrid breeding outcomes.…”

“…Estimates of specific combining ability (SCA) and reciprocal (RE) effects of hybrids for plant height at first flower, number of leaf to first flower, flower diameter, flower tube length, internode length and stem diameter in petunia 6.1 -9.9 ** *Significant at 5% level of probability; ** Significant at 1% level of probability 6). Similar results were obtained by Hussein and Misiha (1978) in petunia and Lou et al (2010) in zinnia. In case of flower tube length, hybrid P3 × P4 had the highest positive significant heterotic effects relative to the parental mean (16.2%) and high parent (11.7%) (Tab.…”

Characterization of a novel male sterile mutant of Tagetes patula induced by heat shock

“…When the plants entered the flowering stage, various morphological parameters, relating to the vegetative and flowering phenotypes of the mutant and control plants, were measured. The morphological parameters recorded were plant height (PH), crown size (CS), length of compound leaf (LCL), width of compound leaf (WCL), length of lobule leaf (LLL), width of lobule leaf (WLL), length of pedicel (LP), length of calyx (LC), height of flower bud (HB), width of flower bud (WB), diameter of inflorescence (DI), diameter of center disk (DC), number of florets (NF), and maximum number of flowers per day (MF) (Lou et al 2010). From each experiment replication, three plants were randomly selected and the data of 14 morphological parameters were recorded in October 2010.…”