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Heterosis in Oats¹

Several attributes were studied in the F₁ and F₂ generations of oat crosses grown in space-planted nurseries in 1955. The F₁'s of 15 oat crosses and their parents were sown in a randomized complete-block design with 3 replicates. The plots, spaced 30 cm apart, each contained 5 competitive plants (sown 30 cm apart) upon which measurements were taken for heading date, number of panicles per plant, number of spikelets per primary panicle, plant height and grain yield. In 1957, the F₂ and parent plants were spaced 10 cm apart and measured for the same attributes as the F₁'s.

The grain yields of each F₁ exceeded the higher yielding parent. Grain yields in the F₁ ranged from 101 to 130% of the higher parent with a mean for all crosses of 112%. The parent, Victory, produced consistently low yielding crosses. The yields of some crosses in the F₂ exceeded the higher yielding parent and the mean F₂ yields, relative to the higher yielding parent, was 99%. For one cross, the relative yield of the F2 was 120% of the higher parent.

Positive heterosis was expressed for number of panicles per plant, and for each cross the heading date of the F₁ was earlier than the midparent. Except in a few crosses, plant height and number of spikelets per panicle in the F₁'s and F₂'s closely approximated the midparents.

The correlations of midparental values with Ft and F2 cross means for number of spikelets per panicle, plant height and heading date were all highly significant and above 0.89. For yield, similar correlations were 0.60.

² Agronomist, Crops Research Division, and Professor of Plant Breeding, respectively.

Received for publication January 24, 1966.