scholarly journals Genetic Parameters of Interspecific Hybrids of Eucalyptus grandis and E. urophylla Seedlings and Cuttings

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 291-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. van den Berg ◽  
S. D. Verryn ◽  
P. W. Chirwa ◽  
F. Van Deventer

Abstract The current E. grandis × E. urophylla hybrid breeding strategy of South Africa’s Forestry Industry is to maintain large breeding populations of both parental species in which parents are selected based on their general combining ability (GCA) estimates or predicted individual tree breeding values and are used for interspecific hybrid crosses. The hybrid material is first screened in seedling progeny trials after which superior individuals are selected and tested as clones. Although this strategy has delivered superior clones for commercial production in South Africa, it is a time consuming strategy to follow and more cost effective strategies are being investigated. In order to review the current hybrid breeding strategy, information on the genetic control of the traits of interest is needed for E. grandis × E. urophylla seedling and clonal populations. The main objectives of this study were therefore to firstly estimate genetic parameters for E. grandis × E. urophylla hybrid seedling and clonal populations; secondly to investigate the correlation between E. grandis and E. urophylla parental (GCA) or individual breeding values and their general hybridising ability (GHA); and lastly to determine the correlation between E. grandis × E. urophylla hybrid seedling ortets and their ramets. Results of our study indicated that non-additive genetic variation explained the majority of the total genetic variation in E. grandis × E. urophylla seedling and clonal populations. Due to the pre-eminence of non-additive variance, the pure-hybrid correlations were weak, especially for clonal populations. It would therefore seem that GCA or predicted individual breeding values are not good predictors of GHA for growth performance in the observed populations. Our study also indicated a weak coefficient of correlation between the growth performance of seedling ortets and their ramets. These results suggest that: firstly a hybrid breeding strategy to capture non-additive genetic variation should be adopted; and secondly that the first phase of screening E. grandis × E. urophylla hybrid material as seedlings should be revisited.

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew A. Swan ◽  
Daniel J. Brown ◽  
Julius H. J. van der Werf

Genetic variation within and between Australian Merino subpopulations was estimated from a large breeding nucleus in which up to 8500 progeny from over 300 sires were recorded at eight sites across Australia. Subpopulations were defined as genetic groups using the Westell–Quaas model in which base animals with unknown pedigree were allocated to groups based on their flock of origin if there were sufficient ‘expressions’ for the flock, or to one of four broad sheep-type groups otherwise (Ultra/Superfine, Fine/Fine-medium, Medium/Strong, or unknown). Linear models including genetic groups and additive genetic breeding values as random effects were used to estimate variance components for 12 traits: yearling greasy and clean fleece weight (ygfw and ycfw), yearling mean and coefficient of variation of fibre diameter (yfd and ydcv), yearling staple length and staple strength (ysl and yss), yearling fibre curvature (ycuv), yearling body wrinkle (ybdwr), post-weaning weight (pwt), muscle (pemd) and fat depth (pfat), and post-weaning worm egg count (pwec). For the majority of traits, the genetic group variance ranged from approximately equal to two times larger than the additive genetic (within group) variance. The exceptions were pfat and ydcv where the genetic group to additive variance ratios were 0.58 and 0.22, respectively, and pwec and yss where there was no variation between genetic groups. Genetic group correlations between traits were generally the same sign as corresponding additive genetic correlations, but were stronger in magnitude (either more positive or more negative). These large differences between genetic groups have long been exploited by Merino ram breeders, to the extent that the animals in the present study represent a significantly admixed population of the founding groups. The relativities observed between genetic group and additive genetic variance components in this study can be used to refine the models used to estimate breeding values for the Australian Merino industry.


2001 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Henryon ◽  
P. Berg ◽  
J. Jensen ◽  
S. Andersen

AbstractThe objective of this study was to test that genetic variation for resistance to clinical and subclinical diseases exists in growing pigs. A total of 13 551 male growing pigs were assessed for resistance to five categories of clinical and subclinical disease: (i) any clinical or subclinical disease, (ii) lameness, (iii) respiratory diseases, (iv) diarrhoea, and (v) other diseases (i.e. any clinical or subclinical disease with the exception of (ii), (iii), and (iv)). Additive genetic variation for resistance to each disease category was estimated by fitting a Weibull, sire-dam frailty model to time until the pigs were first diagnosed with a disease from that category. Genetic correlations among the resistances to each disease category were approximated as product-moment correlations among predicted breeding values of the sires. Additive genetic variation was detected for resistance to (i) any clinical or subclinical disease (additive genetic variance for log-frailty (± s.e.) = 0·18 ± 0·05, heritability on the logarithmic-time scale = 0·10), (ii) lameness (0·29 ± 0·11, 0·16), (iii) respiratory diseases (0·24 ± 0·16, 0·12), (iv) diarrhoea (0·30 ± 0·27, 0·16), and (v) the other diseases (0·34 ± 0·15, 0·19) and there were generally positive and low-to-moderate correlations among the predicted breeding values (-0·03 to + 0·65). These results demonstrate that additive genetic variation for resistance to clinical and subclinical diseases does exist in growing pigs, and suggests that selective breeding for resistance could be successful.


1994 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Kirkpatrick ◽  
William G. Hill ◽  
Robin Thompson

SummaryQuantitative variation in traits that change with age is important to both evolutionary biologists and breeders. We present three new methods for estimating the phenotypic and additive genetic covariance functions of a trait that changes with age, and illustrate them using data on daily lactation records from British Holstein—Friesian dairy cattle. First, a new technique is developed to fit a continuous covariance function to a covariance matrix. Secondly, this technique is used to estimate and correct for a bias that inflates estimates of phenotypic variances. Thirdly, we offer a numerical method for estimating the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of covariance functions. Although the algorithms are moderately complex, they have been implemented in a software package that is made freely available.Analysis of lactation shows the advantages of the new methods over earlier ones. Results suggest that phenotypic variances are inflated by as much as 39 % above the underlying covariance structure by measurement error and short term environmental effects. Analysis of additive genetic variation indicates that about 90 % of the additive genetic variation for lactation during the first 10 months is associated with an eigenfunction that corresponds to increased (or decreased) production at all ages. Genetic tradeoffs between early and late milk yield are seen in the second eigenfunction, but it accounts for less than 8 % of the additive variance. This illustrates that selection is expected to increase production throughout lactation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-30
Author(s):  
Marcio José de Araujo ◽  
David John Lee ◽  
Evandro Vagner Tambarussi ◽  
Rinaldo Cesar de Paula ◽  
Paulo Henrique Müller da Silva

The survival, initial productivity, and the genetic parameters of Corymbia citriodora subsp. citriodora (CCC), Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata (CCV), and Corymbia torelliana (CT) were used to develop a breeding strategy for the Corymbia species. Survival, height, and diameter at breast height (DBH) data were assessed 24 and 36 months after planting, and the mean annual volume increment was estimated in three trials. Longitudinal DBH data analysis was applied individually to each trial to identify the best and the poorest families at both ages. The mortality ranged from 5% in CT to 27% in CCC, and the mean annual increment varied from 17.8 to 20 m3·ha−1·year−1 at 36 months after planting. The 36-month narrow-sense heritability [Formula: see text] was high for CCV (0.69 ± 0.17), moderate for CCC (0.41 ± 0.11), and low for CT (0.21 ± 0.09). The genetic parameters indicated the need for different breeding strategies for each species. Selecting the best families while roguing the poor families allowed forward selection of CCC and CCV. It was possible to select good CT trees for hybrid breeding; however, improving the species population requires focusing on increasing the effective size and expanding the genetic variability in the CT population.


2009 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Menezes Gonçalves ◽  
Alexandre Pio Viana ◽  
Messias Gonzaga Pereira ◽  
Francisco Valdevino Bezerra Neto ◽  
Antônio Teixeira do Amaral Júnior ◽  
...  

The aim of this work was to study the genetic parameters, to obtaine the progenies by crossings among the yellow passion fruits cultivars (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa), following the Design I. The results of the variance analysis demonstrated large variability to be exploited in the population. The trait number of fruit per plant presented the largest additive genetic variation coefficient, demonstrating that larger gains could be obtained for the trait. In terms of genetic action, number of fruits per plant, skin thickness and number of days by flowering have demonstrated to be characterized by the overdominance. Other important traits seem to have presented larger addictive effect than the dominance, as weight, length and width of fruits. The highest values of the coefficients of heritabilities were obtained for the males and the smallest for the females within males, and for the selection the coefficients should be used in the narrow sense.


1968 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Bowman ◽  
J. E. Marshall ◽  
J. S. Broadbent

This report gives an account of the paternal half-sib analysis of carcass quality, based on commercial joint dissection, on Down cross sheep collected in the four years 1962–65 inclusive. It also includes a discussion of the multiplicative correction factors used, and the phenotypic and genetic correlations between all the traits, estimated from the pooled within-farm, within-year analysis. It shows that there is very little genetic variation for many of the characters but that the percentage leg, percentage best end, age at slaughter and eye-muscle area have much additive genetic variation remaining for worthwhile response to be expected from selection. These three carcass traits are also the most important characters in determining the commercial value and saleability of lamb. From the results obtained it is argued that there is still much genetic variation for fat development in sheep.


Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 217 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
L E Puhl ◽  
J Crossa ◽  
S Munilla ◽  
P Pérez-Rodríguez ◽  
R J C Cantet

Abstract Cultivated bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an allohexaploid species resulting from the natural hybridization and chromosome doubling of allotetraploid durum wheat (T. turgidum) and a diploid goatgrass Aegilops tauschii Coss (Ae. tauschii). Synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW) was developed through the interspecific hybridization of Ae. tauschii and T. turgidum, and then crossed to T. aestivum to produce synthetic hexaploid wheat derivatives (SHWDs). Owing to this founding variability, one may infer that the genetic variances of native wild populations vs improved wheat may vary due to their differential origin and evolutionary history. In this study, we partitioned the additive variance of SHW and SHWD with respect to their breed origin by fitting a hierarchical Bayesian model with heterogeneous covariance structure for breeding values to estimate variance components for each breed category, and segregation variance. Two data sets were used to test the proposed hierarchical Bayesian model, one from a multi-year multi-location field trial of SHWD and the other comprising the two species of SHW. For the SHWD, the Bayesian estimates of additive variances of grain yield from each breed category were similar for T. turgidum and Ae. tauschii, but smaller for T. aestivum. Segregation variances between Ae. tauschii—T. aestivum and T. turgidum—T. aestivum populations explained a sizable proportion of the phenotypic variance. Bayesian additive variance components and the Best Linear Unbiased Predictors (BLUPs) estimated by two well-known software programs were similar for multi-breed origin and for the sum of the breeding values by origin for both data sets. Our results support the suitability of models with heterogeneous additive genetic variances to predict breeding values in wheat crosses with variable ploidy levels.


Genetics ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-227
Author(s):  
A Gimelfarb

Abstract It is demonstrated that systems of two pleiotropically related characters controlled by additive diallelic loci can maintain under Gaussian stabilizing selection a stable polymorphism in more than two loci. It is also shown that such systems may have multiple stable polymorphic equilibria. Stabilizing selection generates negative linkage disequilibrium, as a result of which the equilibrium phenotypic variances are quite low, even though the level of allelic polymorphisms can be very high. Consequently, large amounts of additive genetic variation can be hidden in populations at equilibrium under stabilizing selection on pleiotropically related characters.


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