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PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES

Effective Population Size during Grass Germplasm Seed Regeneration

^a Usda-Ars
^b Program in Statistics, Washington Sate Univ., Pullman WA 99164-6402

* Corresponding author (rcjohnson{at}wsu.edu)

Effective population size (N_e) is the key parameter for predicting genetic drift associated with germplasm regeneration. A major factor reducing N_e below the census population size (N_c) is variation in seed production among plants in a given population. The objectives of this study were to estimate N_e/N_c associated with variation in seed production in three model wind pollinated, perennial grass species [Lolium perenne L., Festuca pratensis Huds., and Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) Á. Löve] and to recommend cost effective sampling methodology to maximize N_e/N_c during seed regeneration. Three accessions of each species were grown at two field locations and variation in seed number among plants and mean seed production per plant used to estimate N_e/N_c. Mean seeds per whole plant, standard deviations, and N_e/N_c differed among species, and accessions within species (P < 0.05). For whole plant samples, average N_e/N_c for each species differed with values of 0.42, 0.51, and 0.63 for L. perenne, F. pratensis, and P. spicata, respectively. However, average N_e/N_c based on two inflorescences per plant was 0.69, 0.88, and 0.86 for L. perenne, F. pratensis, and P. spicata, respectively, which was higher than that of whole plant samples. This higher N_e/N_c resulted from the elimination of the variation in inflorescence number per plant, a major source of variation in seed number among plants. The results showed the high potential for genetic drift in small regeneration populations. Increased plant populations and harvesting a constant number of inflorescences per plant are recommended as cost-effective methods to minimize genetic drift during regeneration of outcrossing grass germplasm.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. C. Johnson, V. L. Bradley, and M. A. Evans Inflorescence Sampling Improves Effective Population Size of Grasses Crop Sci., July 1, 2004; 44(4): 1450 - 1455. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]