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CROP BREEDING, GENETICS & CYTOLOGY

Diallel Analysis of Winter Wheat at Two Nitrogen Levels

INRA, Domaine de Brunehaut, 80200 Estrées-Mons, France

* Corresponding author (legouis{at}mons.inra.fr)

Price reduction and environmental concerns advocate a lower use of nitrogen (N) fertilizer on the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop. It is a common hypothesis that hybrids would be more valuable in stressed environments such as limited fertilizer conditions. The objective of this study was to assess heterosis and combining ability at two N levels. Seven winter wheat cultivars were used to produce a 7 x 7 diallel cross without the reciprocals. The 21 F1 hybrids and parental lines were tested in replicated plots over 2 yr without N fertilizer (N0) or with 150 kg N ha^-1 (N+). The diallel analysis was conducted according to Griffing with year, genotype, and treatment as fixed effects. Mid-parent heterosis for grain yield was +12.2%** at N0 and +8.9%** at N+ in 1997 and +1.7%^ns at N0 and -0.4%^ns at N+ in 1998. This was directly related to high mid-parent heterosis for above-ground dry weight in 1997 (+11.2%** at N0 and +10.9%** at N+) and low heterosis in 1998 (+1.2%^ns at N0 and +0.0%^ns at N+). General (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining ability effects were always significant. The GCA/SCA ratio ranged from 3.6 to 14.8. The GCA x N level interaction was generally significant indicating different parental contributions at low or high N levels. The SCA x N level interaction was never significant. There was a tendency toward higher GCA/SCA ratio at N0 than at N+. The choice of parents will be dependent upon the N level under which the new hybrids will be grown.

Abbreviations: GCA, general combining ability • HI, harvest index • NHI, N harvest index • SCA, specific combining ability • TKW, thousand kernel weight

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