Combining Ability of Husk Extension, Maysin Content, and Corn Earworm Resistance

Corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea) is a destructive pest with limited management options in sweet corn (Zea mays) production. Increased husk extension and the presence of the C-glycosyl flavone maysin are two proposed mechanisms for improving corn earworm resistance in corn cultivars. A factorial mating design was conducted to test hybrid combinations of sweet corn inbreds with long husks and/or maysin to identify candidates for future cultivar development. The mating design had seven male parents, including three commercial sweet corn inbreds (Wh9261, We11401, and Wt1001) and four inbreds selected for maysin content (Maysin1, 2, 3, and 4), and five female parents, including two commercial sweet corn inbreds (Ia453su and Ia5125su) and three inbreds with long, thick, tight husks (A684su, A685su, and A686su). Hybrids were evaluated for ear length, husk length, maysin content, and corn earworm resistance at six environments in 2016 and 2017. Relationships between husk extension, maysin, and corn earworm resistance were inconsistent, but five inbreds produced hybrids with significantly lower corn earworm infestation and/or damage, demonstrating potential to confer resistance to the corn earworm.

An Analysis of Combining Ability for Height, Leaf Out, Bloom Date, and Flower Color for Crapemyrtle

Breeding of crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia) in the United States has focused on developing hybrids between parents with disease or pest resistance and those with good floral characteristics. The objective of this work was to study the general and specific combining ability of several horticulturally important traits in crosses between pest-resistant parents and those with saturated flower colors. Ten crapemyrtle parents were tested in a factorial mating design including 25 of the 29 possible families. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) for all traits for the general combining ability of parents. The cross between ‘Arapaho’ and ‘WHIT IV’ displayed the best specific combining ability for a desirable combination of height, leaf-out time, bloom time, and flower color based on current breeding objectives. Overall, this study revealed the importance of both additive and nonadditive genetic variability in crapemyrtle, suggesting that an integrated breeding strategy to capture both additive and dominance variance would be appropriate for producing new, improved crapemyrtle clones for the four traits evaluated.

Variation and Heritability Estimates of Anthocyanins and Their Relationship to Antioxidant Activity in a Red Raspberry Factorial Mating Design

We determined variance components and narrow-sense heritability estimates for total and individual anthocyanin (ACY) content and antioxidant activity (AA) in fruit from 411 genotypes in a red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) factorial mating design based on 42 full-sib families derived from seven female and six male parents, harvested in 2002 and 2003. Within half-sib family total ACY content ranged from ≈1-60+ mg/100 g fruit in both seasons. The four major ACYs quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography also showed wide ranges each year. Female and male parent contributions to variation in total and individual ACYs were significant (P ≤ 0.001) in combined year analysis, and together accounted for 29% to 48% of the total variation. A substantial proportion of the female contribution was attributed to the use of a pigment-deficient R. parvifolius L. × R. idaeus hybrid derivative as a female parent. Female × male interaction was nonsignificant and contributed negligibly to total variance. Year effects accounted for <2.5% of variation in ACYs and were only marginally significant. Year interactions were negligible. Within family variation (among plots and within plot) accounted for ≈50% of the variation in total ACY and 62% to 69% of the variation in individual ACYs. Combined year narrow-sense heritability estimates were high (h2 = 0.54-0.90 for individual ACYs, 1.00 for total ACY) among all factorial genotypes, but moderate when the progeny of the R. parvifolius derivative were excluded (h2 = 0.45-0.78 for individual ACYs, 0.74 for total ACY). The latter estimates are applicable to breeding programs in which pigment-deficient genotypes are rarely or never used in breeding. Parental main effects were significant for AA, together accounting for 19% of total variance; female × male interaction was nonsignificant. Year effects were marginally significant and year interactions nonsignificant; together these sources of variation contributed <2% of total variation in AA. The majority of AA variation was found within- and among-plots within family. The phenotypic correlation between AA and total ACY was r = 0.53, and ranged from r = 0.21-0.46 between AA and individual ACYs; genetic correlations between AA and the ACYs were similar to the phenotypic correlations, suggesting predominantly additive genetic effects accounted for the phenotypic correlations. Linear modelling for AA based on individual ACYs and their interactions explained ≈0.53 of AA variation, substantially less than that explained by total phenolic content (R2 = 0.88). Our results show substantial variation and moderate to high narrow-sense heritability estimates for red raspberry ACYs, but ACY content and profile information are ineffective proxies and predictors for AA in red raspberry fruit.

Predicted and Realized Response of Strawberry Production Traits to Selection in Differing Environments and Propagation Systems

Strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) seedlings from a factorial mating design were tested in each of two locations using two propagule types (seedlings and runners). Genotypic correlations were used to indicate G × E interaction across these locations and propagation systems and to predict correlated responses between selection under specific conditions and commercial propagation. A combined index on relatives was constructed and used to select four groups of individuals—one for each location-propagule combination—for each of two production traits. Comparison was then made with realized responses from subsequent clonal testing at a single site representing the commercial environment. Although selection in the commercial environment (Watsonville) was predicted to give the greatest selection response, realized responses were greatest for the Wolfskill site. Additionally, the present system of selecting seedlings at Wolfskill and testing clones at Watsonville offers considerable logistical advantages that may outweight genetic considerations. The concept of effective index heritability was introduced to enable the calculation of predicted response based on index selection. Neither the use of clonally tested parents nor a comparative seedling set selected for another trait was ideal for estimating realized response.

Nursery Selection for High Early Fruit Yield in Subtropical Strawberries

Development of new strawberry cultivars for winter fruit production in Florida entails growing of hybrid seedlings in a nursery in the summer of the first year for runner plant production. Two runner plants are taken from each seedling and planted in the fruiting field in the fall. An experiment was conducted to see if it is possible to predict which genotypes in the nursery will have the highest early season fruit yield. Seedlings from 24 families from a 6 × 4 factorial mating design were grown in a nursery. From each family, daughter plants of 20 seedlings with the highest vigor and 20 randomly picked seedlings were then evaluated in the fruiting field. Plants from selected (high-vigor) seedlings were more vigorous, but had fewer crowns and runners, than unselected plants. More inflorescences were counted in selected plants than in unselected plants during the second week of January. This could account for higher early yield (yield at the end of January) and total yield (yield at the end of March) in selected than in unselected plants.