Abstract
Quantitative genetics of grain yield and other agronomic characters of t'ef (Eragrostis tef) were studied using the F1, F2, BC1, and BC2 of the cross Fesho × Kay Murri. The study was carried out to estimate gene effects controlling the inheritance of grain yield and related agronomic characters. Significant additive [d] and dominance × dominance [l] interaction effects were detected for grain yield. The variations of yield per panicle and panicle weight were explained in terms of [d], dominance [h], and additive × additive [i] interactions. Non-allelic gene interactions were also detected for kernel weight, harvest index, tiller number, plant height, days to heading and days to maturity. The simple additive-dominance model explained the variation for panicle length, culm diameter and plant weight, allowing unbiased estimates of additive (D) and dominance (H) variance components. Large dominance variances (H) were estimated for grain yield, yield per panicle, and panicle weight. The additive variances for plant height, panicle length, days to heading and days to maturity were higher than the respective dominance variances. High narrow-sense heritability (h2) values (> 0.50) were estimated for plant height, panicle length, days to heading and days to maturity. The lowest h2 (0.09) was obtained for kernel weight for which there was little variability. Since grain yield and several important agronomic characters of t'ef are influenced by non-allelic gene interaction, it is advisable to delay selection for yield to later generations with increased homozygosity.
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Tefera, H., Peat, W. Genetics of grain yield and other agronomic characters in t'ef (Eragrostis tef Zucc. Trotter). I. Generation means and variances analysis. Euphytica 96, 185–191 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002996911256
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002996911256