GENE EFFECTS FOR GRAINS PER SPIKE, GRAIN WEIGHT AND GRAINS PER SPIKELET IN A .sET OF NINETEEN CROSSES OF WHEAT

Abstract

Generation means analysis involving six basic generations of each of the 19 crosses of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) involving 20 genetically diverse parents was used to elucidate the inheritance of grains per spike, grain weight and grains per spikelet. The additive and additive x additive gene effects were significant in a great majority of cases. However, the magnitude of additive gene effects was quite ~mall as compared with other gene effects. The dominance and dominance x dominifnce gene effects, though present in about one third of the crosses were of larger dtagnitude but were unexploitable due to their opposite signs. The detection of both fixable and non fixable gene action and of duplicate epistasis implies the use of biparental approachlintermating in early segregating generations.