Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 K74 / Master of Science

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / Tesfaye Tesso / The approach used to identify inbred lines that can produce superior hybrids is costly and time-consuming. It requires creation of all possible crosses and evaluation of the crosses to estimate combining abilities for the desired traits. Predicting heterosis or hybrid performance in any way possible may help to reduce the number of crosses to be made and evaluated. In this study, four sets of experiments were conducted to determine whether heterosis can be predicted based on inbred line performance, genetic distance between parents and genomic prediction model. The first experiment was aimed at assessing the levels of genetic diversity, population structure and linkage disequilibrium (LD) in 279 public sorghum inbred lines, based on 66,265 SNPs generated using the genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) platform. The inbred lines were developed at different times over the last two decades and harbor robust diversity in pedigree and agronomic characteristics. Some of the inbreds are resistant to Acetolactate synthase (ALS) and Acetyl co-enzyme-A carboxylase (ACC) inhibitor herbicides. The mean polymorphic information content (PIC) and gene diversity across the entire inbreds were 0.35 and 0.46, respectively with non-herbicide resistant inbreds harboring more diversity than the herbicide resistant ones. The population structure analysis clustered the inbred lines into three major subgroups according to pedigree and fertility-reaction with the maintainer lines (B-lines) distinctly forming a separate cluster. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed more variation within subgroups than among subgroups. Substantial linkage disequilibrium (LD) was detected between the markers in the population with marked variation between chromosomes. This information may facilitate the use of the inbreds in sorghum breeding programs and provide perspectives for optimizing marker density for gene mapping and marker-assisted breeding. The second experiment, based on 102 F1 hybrids developed by intercrossing closely and distantly related inbreds, was conducted to investigate the relationship of genetic distance between parents with hybrid vigor or heterosis. The F1 hybrids alongside their parents were evaluated at two environments in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results show that correlations of genetic distance between parents with hybrid performance and heterosis were variable and dependent on the trait. Though most were statistically non-significant and not strong to be used as predictor for heterosis, the results tend to show that certain level of genetic distance between parents is needed to capture maximum heterosis and hybrid performance. The objective of the third research study was to determine whether traits measured on parents can be used to predict hybrid performance in sorghum and to assess the combining ability of selected inbreds. Forty-six parental inbred lines and 75 F1 hybrids generated from intercrossing the inbreds were evaluated in four environments in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The average performance of the parents (mid-parent) was significantly correlated with hybrid performance for thousand kernel weight, days to flowering and plant height. Significant general (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining abilities were observed for most traits, with highly significant GCA effects observed for most traits as compared to SCA indicating that additive genetic effects are more important in affecting the inheritance of the traits measured. Results show that studying parental inbred line performance could generate important information for predicting hybrid performance in sorghum. The fourth experiment was aimed at assessing the efficacy of genomic prediction of hybrid performance in sorghum. Genomic prediction was performed with five-fold cross-validation procedure on 204 F1 hybrids developed using 102 inbred lines. A total of 66,265 SNP markers generated using genotyping-by-sequencing were used in this study. Results showed that increasing training population size increased prediction accuracies for all traits with the effect being different for different traits. Also, considering additive effects alone versus additive and dominance effects in the model showed similar trend of prediction accuracy but the full model (considering both additive and dominance effects of the markers) provided better prediction at least for some of the traits. The results suggest that genomic prediction could become an effective tool for predicting the performance of untested sorghum hybrids thus adding efficiency to hybrid selection.

Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) has potential as a bioenergy feedstock due to its high yield potential and the production of simple sugars for fermentation. Sweet sorghum cultivars are typically tall, high biomass types with juicy stalks and high sugar concentration. These sorghums can be harvested, milled, and fermented to ethanol using technology similar to that used to process sugarcane. Sweet sorghum has advantages in that it can be planted by seed with traditional planters, is an annual plant that quickly produces a crop and fits well in crop rotations, and it is a very water-use efficient crop. Processing sweet sorghum is capital intensive, but it could fit into areas where sugarcane is already produced. Sweet sorghum could be timed to harvest and supply the sugar mill during the off season when sugarcane is not being processed, be fit into crop rotations, or used in water limiting environments. In these ways, sweet sorghum could be used to produce ethanol in the Southern U.S and other tropical and subtropical environments. Traditionally, sweet sorghum has been grown as a pureline cultivar. However, these cultivars produce low quantities of seed and are often too tall for efficient mechanical harvest. Sweet sorghum hybrids that use grain-type seed parents with high sugar concentrations are one way to overcome limitation to seed supply and to capture the benefits of heterosis. There are four objectives of this research. First to evaluate the importance of genotype, environment, and genotype-by-environment interaction effects on the sweet sorghum yield and composition. The second objective is to determine the presence and magnitude of heterosis effects for traits related to sugar production in sweet sorghum. Next: to study the ability of sweet sorghum hybrids and cultivars to produce a ratoon crop and determine the contribution of ratoon crops to total sugar yield. The final objective is to evaluate variation in composition of sweet sorghum juice and biomass. Sweet sorghum hybrids, grain-type sweet seed parents, and traditional cultivars that served as male parents were evaluated in multi-environment trials in Weslaco, College Station, and Halfway, Texas in 2007 and 2008. Both genotype and environment influenced performance, but environment had a greater effect than genotype on the composition of sweet sorghum juice and biomass yield. In comparing performance, elite hybrids produced fresh biomass and sugar yields similar to the traditional cultivars while overcoming the seed production limitations. High parent heterosis was expressed among the experimental hybrids for biomass yield, sugar yield and sugar concentration. Additional selection for combining ability would further enhance yields and heterosis in the same hybrid. Little variation was observed among hybrids for juice and biomass composition suggesting that breeding efforts should focus on yield before altering plant composition.

The Elsenburg Merino flock has been divergently selected for the ability of ewes to rear multiple offspring since 1986. Updated genetic trends for reproduction are reported for the Elsenburg Merino resource flock. The objective was to determine whether genetic trends estimated previously for the Elsenburg Merino Resource flock changed significantly with the introduction of genetic material from the industry to the high (H) line. All analyses included the full pedigree file, consisting of 6547 individuals. Heritability estimates were 0.08 ± 0.02 for number of lambs weaned and 0.11 ± 0.02 for corrected weight of lamb weaned. The ewe permanent environment variance was estimated at 0.09 ± 0.02 and 0.11 ± 0.02 for number of lambs weaned and for corrected weight of lamb weaned, respectively. Genetic trends for the H and low (L) lines were divergent (P < 0.05) for all reproduction traits during the period prior to the observed breakpoints. Progress for number of lambs weaned in the H line stabilised after 1999 while a decline in response for weight of lamb weaned in the H line occurred after 2003. The change points may result from reduced selection intensity during the formation of reciprocal crossbred lines, or the introduction of unrelated industry sires in the H line. The pedigree was analysed and inbreeding trends computed for the H and L lines with the aim to test the significance of inbreeding within the lines. The software packages used for the statistical analyses were ENDOG v4.8 and POPREP web analysis software. The average inbreeding coefficients (F) were 1.47% and 0.73% for the divergently selected H and L lines. The rate of inbreeding (ΔF) per generation was 0.5% for the H line and 0.6% in the L line. The overall rates of inbreeding per generation were different in the H and L lines but within acceptable levels. The L line, however, showed an unwanted recent increase in inbreeding that will need to be considered in future. Since 2003, part of the Elsenburg Merino breeding flock was subjected to structured reciprocal within-breed crossing. Lamb survival traits and ewe reproductive performance of purebred (H and L) and reciprocal crosses (HxL and LxH) were evaluated using least squares analyses. Levels of heterosis were also assessed. The mean survival of the two crossbred lines was notably superior to the midparent value in absolute terms, although the contrast did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.098). Further research is required to establish whether this within breed heterosis for lamb survival can be exploited to decrease lamb losses. Reproduction, number of lambs born (NLB) and number of lambs weaned (NLW) in the H line was higher than in the L line (P < 0.05) while the two crossbred lines were intermediate and different from both the H line and the L line (P < 0.05) from the analyses of annual reproduction and overall “lifetime” reproduction across three lambing opportunities. Individual heterosis for annual reproduction was estimated at 2.2% for NLB, 13.8% for NLW and 8.5% for corrected weight of lamb weaned (TWW), with the estimate for NLW reaching significance (P < 0.05). Corresponding estimates for total production over three lambing opportunities were 8.7% for TNLB, 19.1% for TNLW and 13.8% for TTWW, with the estimate for NLW reaching significance (P < 0.05). Ten RAPD markers were used to study molecular divergence between the H and L lines. Phenotypic data on the lifetime reproduction of ewes born in 1999 and 2000 indicated that reproduction in the H line ewes was markedly higher than that of L line contemporaries (P < 0.01). The RAPD assay, conducted on 15 ewes from each line, used eight primers and produced 87% polymorphic loci. The mean coefficient of genetic differentiation between lines (Gst) was estimated to be 0.25. In conclusion, the H and L lines were shown to be divergent for genetic trends and levels of inbreeding. The derived estimates of heterosis may also be used to infer divergence between the lines and significant molecular divergence proven using RAPD assays. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Hohenheim, Univ., Diss., 2008. / Enthält u.a. drei Abstracts.

Orientador: Antonio Ismael Inácio Cardoso / Banca: Norberto da Silva / Banca: Rumy Goto / Banca: Gilberto Ken-Iti Yokomizo / Banca: Leila Trevizan Braz / Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar, por meio de cruzamentos dialélicos, a capacidade geral de combinação de linhagens experimentais de pepino do grupo caipira, selecionadas pelas suas características relacionadas à qualidade de fruto e expressão sexual, a capacidade específica e heteroses dos respectivos híbridos e comparar os híbridos experimentais com híbridos comerciais, em condições de cultivo protegido com polinização aberta por insetos. As linhagens estudadas foram obtidas de duas populações. A primeira população foi obtida através do cruzamento entre os híbridos Safira (grupo caipira) e Hatem (grupo holandês). O híbrido resultante foi retrocruzado com Safira obtendo-se a população (Safira x Hatem) x Safira F1RC1. Plantas desta população foram intercruzadas para a obtenção da população F2, denominada de população SHS. Plantas ao acaso desta população foram autofecundadas por cinco gerações pelo método Single Seed Descent = Descendência de Semente Única (SSD) até a obtenção de linhagens S5. A segunda população foi através do cruzamento entre os híbridos Guarani (grupo caipira) e Hatem. Deste cruzamento obteve-se a população (Guarani x Hatem) F1. Plantas desta população foram intercruzadas para a obtenção da população F2, denominada de população GH. Plantas ao acaso desta população foram autofecundadas, por quatro gerações, até a obtenção de linhagens S4. Quatro linhagens de cada população foram cruzadas entre si no esquema de dialelo parcial, obtendo-se 16 híbridos experimentais. Foram avaliados 27 tratamentos: 16 híbridos experimentais, três híbridos comerciais (Safira, AG-221 e Guarani), quatro linhagens S5 da população SHS e quatro linhagens S4 da população GH. O delineamento experimental adotado foi em blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições e seis plantas por parcela... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The objective of this work was to estimate, through diallel cross, the general combining ability of Caipira cucumber experimental lines selected for characteristics related to fruit quality and sexual expression and the specific combining ability of respective hybrids and compare the experimental hybrids with commercial ones, at protected cultivation and open pollination by insects. The lines studied were obtained from two populations. The first one was obtained through crossing hybrids Safira (caipira group) and Hatem (beit alpha). The resultant hybrid was backcrossed to Safira obtaining the population (Safira x Hatem) x Safira F1RC1. Plants of this population were intercrossed to obtain population F2, denominated SHS population. Randon plants of this population were selfed for five generations, using Single Seed Descent (SSD) method, until obtaining lines S5. The second population was obtained through crossing hybrids Guarani (caipira group) and Hatem, resulting in population (Guarani x Hatem) F1. Plants of this population were intercrossed to obtain population F2, denominated GH population. Randon plants of this population were selfed for four generations until obtaining lines S4. Four lines of each population were intercrossed in parcial diallel crossing system, resulting in 16 experimental hybrids. Twenty seven treatments were evaluated: 16 experimental hybrids, three commercial hybrids (Safira, AG-221 and Guarani), four lines S5 from population SHS and four lines S4 from population GH. The experimental design was randomized in blocks, with four replicates and six plants per plot. The characteristics evaluated were: total number of fruits per plant, commercial number of fruits per plant, total weight of fruits per plant, commercial weight of fruits per plant, percentage of commercial fruits, average weight of commercial fruits, diameter... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

The dissertation consists of a series of experiments conducted to study developmental stability of various genetic stocks at different stages in the life cycle. The primary measures of stability were type and degree of asymmetry of bilateral traits and heterosis. Higher relative asymmetry (RA), which was defined as (|L-R| / [(L+R)/2]) x 100, was observed in lines of White Leghorns selected 23 generations for high or low antibody response to sheep red blood cells than in their F1 crosses. The bilateral traits were 39-day shank length and length and weight of the first primary wing feather. Shank length was again measured on day 49 while body, heart, shank, and lung weights and ceca lengths were obtained on day 56. Heterosis was positive for organ sizes and negative for degree of RA. Shank length and diameter, weight and length of the first primary wing feather, and distance between the junction of maxilla and mandibles and auditory canal (face length) were used to classify bilateral types and measure RA in six genetic stocks. The stocks were the S23 generation of White Leghorn lines selected for high or low antibody response to SRBC, sublines where selection had been relaxed for eight generations, and reciprocal crosses of the selected lines. Differences were found among all stocks for the traits measured. Rankings among traits for RA in descending order were face length, shank diameter, feather weight, and shank and feather lengths. The RA of shank and feather lengths did not differ from each other. The mean RA of the five traits was higher for the two selected lines than the crosses between them. The RAs of the two lines where selection had been relaxed was similar to that of selected lines. In a line of White Rocks selected 39 generations for low eight-week body weight, bilateral traits measured were shank length and diameter, face length, and weight and length of the first primary wing feather of females at 240 days of age. The RAs of individuals that had not commenced egg production by 245 days of age were similar to those that had entered lay. In both cases, these RAs were higher than those of a subline in which selection had been relaxed for four generations. Broiler sire lines had higher RA than dam lines for lung weight at hatch. Heterosis of RAs suggested superior homeostasis in F1 crosses than in the sire lines. Based on populations studied, it may be concluded that RAs were trait specific with the RA of shank length being lower (0 < RA < 2%) than lung weight which was 10% or higher regardless of genetic background. The types of bilateral asymmetry exhibited although less consistent, still had consistency such that feather weight and ceca weight exhibited antisymmetry across different stocks. Length and width of shank and weight of lung, were generally of fluctuating asymmetry. Heart:lung ratios differed among genetic stocks. In White Leghorns, lungs from late embryonic development to 25 days after hatch were heavier in a line which had heavier juvenile body weight than in one with lower juvenile body weight. In commercial broilers, heart:lung ratios at hatch were lower and thus inferior in parental lines than in their F1 crosses. / Ph. D.

Improving protein quality and identifying superior inbreds and hybrids are significant challenges in commercial maize breeding programs. These two problems were addressed in separate studies on inbreds and hybrids from a complete diallel cross of 12 elite proprietary inbred lines of maize evaluated in field trials in two locations for two years. One of the inbreds (WI) was a novel source of high quality protein obtained from Wilson Seeds, Inc. in Harlan, Iowa. In the first study, diallel analyses were used to study combining ability and types of gene action important in the inheritance of protein content, grain yield, grain moisture at harvest, time to silk, kernel hardness, and density. General combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects were highly significant for all traits indicating presence of both additive and non-additive effects, respectively. Reciprocal effects (REe), often assumed to be absent in maize diallel studies, were significant for grain yield and protein concentration, suggesting that choice of female parent may be important for these traits. Ratios expressing the relative importance of GCA and SCA indicated that protein concentration is controlled primarily by additive gene action. In the second study, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) data were obtained for the 12 inbreds using 42 genomic clones each with four restriction enzymes. Modified Roger's distances were calculated and used in cluster analyses for heterotic grouping of the inbreds. Two measures of level of heterozygosity and hybrid value were evaluated as means of predicting Fl performance of hybrids in the complete diallel set of hybrids and in groups of hybrids representing crosses between and within heterotic groups. Results from this study confirm those of previous investigations with respect to prediction of hybrid performance when comparable groupings of crosses between related and unrelated lines were evaluated. This study further indicates that RFLPs may also be useful for prediction of hybrid performance in situations typical of early generations of many maize breeding programs where recombinant inbreds are testcrossed to a common tester inbred. / Ph. D.

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit Heterosis in der Frosttoleranz von Arabidopsis-Kreuzungen. Die genetische Basis von Heterosis, der Verbesserung heterozygoter F1-Hybriden gegenüber den homozygoten Eltern, ist unbekannt. Vermutet werden Dominanz, Überdominanz oder Epistasie. Die zur Kreuzung verwendeten Parentalakzessionen entstammen unterschiedlichen Klimaten und differieren stark in ihrer Frosttoleranz (Lethaltemperatur, LT50). Von 24 reziproken Kreuzungen mit C24 und Col-0 wurden LT50, Prolin- und Zuckergehalt bestimmt. Die Untersuchungen an nicht akklimatisierten und kälteakklimatisierten Pflanzen zeigen häufiger Heterosis in C24- als in Col-Hybriden mit klarem Anstieg nach dem Akklimatisieren. Es besteht eine klare Abhängigkeit der Frosttoleranz zum Zucker-, Prolin- und Flavonoidgehalt, sowie zwischen der Stärke der Heterosis in Frosttoleranz und Metabolitgehalten. GCMS-Messungen bestätigen diese Ergebnisse. Es wurden 40 Metabolite detektiert, von denen viele signifikant mit der Frosttoleranz korrelieren und/oder deren Heterosis mit der Heterosis der LT50 korreliert. Sechs dieser Stoffe sind wichtige Komponenten des Citratzyklus, was auf eine Rolle von Teilen des Zyklus in der Heterosis der Frosttoleranz und eine Veränderung seiner Flussraten hindeutet. / We investigated heterosis in freezing tolerance of 24 reciprocal Arabidopsis-crosses with C24 and Col-0. The underlying genetic mechanisms of Heterosis, the enhancement of F1-hybrids in comparison to their homozygous parents, are unknown. Different mechanisms such as dominance, overdominance or epistasis are suggested. Parental freezing tolerance (LT50) was shown to correlate with the original habitat temperature. Besides the LT50, proline and sugar contents (glc, fru, suc, raf) have been measured on non-acclimated and cold-acclimated plants. Metabolite profiling and flavonoid measurements revealed significant stronger heterosis in C24- than in Col-crosses. Heterosis increases after cold acclimation. Freezing tolerance clearly correlate with the contents of sugars, proline and several flavonols, as well as the strength of heterosis in freezing tolerance with the metabolite content. GCMS-measurement confirmed these results. Fourty metabolites, of which many significantly correlate with LT50 and/or with heterosis in metabolite content and in LT50, were found. Six of these are important compounds in the TCA-cycle. Changes in flux rates of the TCA-cycle could be connected to Heterosis for the first time. Negative correlation between Heterosis in freezing tolerance and metabolite accumulation, points to a role of parts of the cycle in crosses and to a change of flux rates.

Langjährige Forschungsarbeiten konnten die genetische, biochemische und physiologische Basis der Heterosis bis heute nicht klären. Das Promotionsprojekt ist Bestandteil eines längerfristigen Heterosisforschungsprojektes zur molekulargenetischen Charakterisierung der Ursachen von Heterosis. Ziel der Dissertation ist die Analyse von Chromosomenregionen bei der Maus, von denen ein Einfluß auf die Entstehung von Heterosis für Fruchtbarkeit ausgeht. Dabei wurde sowohl die Superdominanz- als auch die Dominanztheorie der Heterosis berücksichtigt. Es wurde eine reziproke Kreuzung der Inzuchtstämme C57BL/6J und Balb/cJ mit anschließendem F1-Interkross zur Erzeugung einer F2-Generation durchgeführt. Von den 948 weiblichen F2-Tieren sind Leistungsgruppen mit extrem hoher und niedriger Wurfgröße gebildet worden, um an diesen Tieren 56 Mikrosatelliten zu analysieren. Die Mikrosatelliten sind im Genom der Maus in einem durchschnittlichen Abstand von 32 cM lokalisiert. 12 von diesen Mikrosatelliten charakterisieren DNA-Loci mit Assoziationen zur Fruchtbarkeit. Entsprechend den Analysen nach der Superdominanztheorie der Heterosis konnte für sechs Mikrosatelliten eine signifikante Beziehung zwischen dem Heterozygotiegrad und der Heterosis für Wurfgröße nachgewiesen werden. Die Mikrosatelliten charakterisieren Regionen auf den Chromosomen 17 (18,2 - 22,3 cM), 18 (50 cM) und 19 (8 - 12 cM). Auf Chromosom 17 befinden sich in diesem Bereich die mit Fruchtbarkeit assoziierenden Gene Ped (Preimplantation embryonic development, 19,5 cM), Cyp21a1 (Cytochrome P450, 21, steroid 21 hydroxylase, 18,7 cM) und H2 (Histocompatibility-2, MHC, 23 cM). Nach dem Dominanzmodell zur Erklärung von Heterosis konnte für zwei Mikrosatelliten eine signifikante Beziehung zwischen dem Anteil Genotypen mit dominantem Leistungsallel und der Heterosis für Wurfgröße ermittelt werden. Die Mikrosatelliten sind auf Chromosom 5 (72 und 88 cM) lokalisiert. In diesen chromosomalen Regionen befinden sich die mit Fruchtbarkeit assoziierten DNA-Loci Pdgfa (Plateled derived growth faktor alpha, 77 cM) und Pmv12 (Polytropic murine leucemia virus-12, 88 cM). / Characterization of heterotic effects in litter size using DNA marker analyses in mice Long dated research could not explain the genetic, biochemical and physiological base of heterosis up to date. The dissertation project is a part of a long term heterosis research project concerning the molecular genetic characterization of the reasons of heterosis. The objective of the dissertation was to find out chromosomal regions of the mouse with a presumable influence on the rise of heterosis in fertility. Both the overdominance and the dominance theory of heterosis have been considered. A reciprocal cross of inbred strains C57BL/6J and Balb/cJ with following F1 intercross was accomplished to establish a F2 generation. From the 948 female F2 animals were formed performance groups with extreme high and low litter sizes to analyse 56 microsatellites on these animals. The microsatellites are located in an average distance of 32 cM in the mouse genome. Twelve of these microsatellites characterize DNA loci with associations to fertility. Corresponding to the analyses based on the overdominance theory of heterosis a significant correlation between the degree of heterozygosity and heterosis in litter size have been demonstrated for six microsatellites. The microsatellites characterize regions on the chromosomes 17 (18.2 - 22.3 cM), 18 (50 cM), and 19 (8 - 12 cM). The DNA loci Ped (Preimplantation embryonic development, 19,5 cM), Cyp21a1 (Cytochrome P450, 21, hydroxylase, 18,7 cM) and H2 (Histocompatibility-2, MHC, 23 cM) showing associations to fertility are located on chromosome 17 in these region. On the base of dominance theory as the reason of heterosis a significant relation between the portion of genotypes with dominant performance allel and heterosis in litter size have been found for two microsatellites. The microsatellites are located on chromosome 5 (72 and 88 cM). The DNA loci Pdgfa (Plateled derived growth factor alpha, 77 cM) and Pmv12 (Polytropic murine leucemia viruses 12, 88 cM) with known associations to fertility are located on these chromosomal regions.