Breeding crosspollinated crops

Cultivar Development in Crosspollinated Species

Compared to self-pollinated species,
cross-pollinated species differ in their
gene pool structure, and in the extent
of genetic recombination
Unselected
populations
typically
consist of a heterogeneous mixture of
heterozygotes;
as
a
result
of
outcrossing, genes are re-shuffled in
every generation

 The breeder focuses more on

populations, rather than individual
plants,
and
on
quantitative
analysis, rather than qualitative
traits
Progeny do not breed true, since
the parent plant is pollinated by
another plant with a different
complement of alleles

 Because progeny do not breed

true in cross-pollinated crops, the
usual progeny testing that would
be employed in self-pollinated
material is much less informative.
A more useful way to assess
genetic potential is to examine
combining ability:
General combining ability
Specific combining ability

 Combining ability: the ability of

an
inbred
line
to
give
characteristic
performance
in
hybrid combinations with other
lines.
The progenies are tested for
performance as populations and
related back to parental.
More precision can be obtained by
using a homozygous inbred line as

General combining ability:

the average or overall performance
of a line in hybrid combinations
(open
pollinated);
represents
additive
genetic
variance
and
additive x additive epistasis
Specific combining ability:
the performance of a line as
compared to other lines when
crossed with the same pollen donor
(specific pollen source); represents
non-additive genetic variance

Recurrent selection
Any breeding system designed to
increase the frequency of desired
alleles for particular quantitatively
inherited characters by repeated cycles
of selection
Identify superior genotypes for the trait
under selection.
Inter-mate the superior genotypes and
select improved progeny.

Population structures
Self-pollinators
mixture of homozygous lines
a single homozygous line
improve through cross, inbreed, select
new superior homozygous line

Cross-pollinators
mixture of heterozygous plants
(population)
maintain through cross-pollination (OP)
improve through selection of plants with
desired genes, avoid too much inbreeding

Progeny test vs combining

ability test

Self-pollinators

evaluate pure line offspring (Measure agric.

value)

Cross-pollinators
evaluate selfed offspring (if possible) No C.A.)
evaluate test cross offspring (Measure
combining ability)
homozygous line tester (specific combining
ability)
heterogeneous population tester (general
combining ability

Recurrent selection principle

1. Select best plants
2. Intercross selected
to form next generation

Phenotypic recurrent sel.

Mass selection
Genotypic recurrent sel.
Evaluate offspring

Mass selection

Very
simple
population
improvement
Efficient only for high heritability traits
Population maintenance Remove off types First
step in breeding programs

Half-sib selection
1. season
Source population
Select good looking plants
and intercross
2. season
Plants in each offspring
have female parent in
common. They are
half-sibs
They reveal combining
ability of selected plant

A is less
efficient
than B

Progeny test of
selected plants in
isolation
3. season
A. Composite seed
B. Composite remnan
from superior seed from plants with
progenies
superior progenies

Source population
Superior plants selected

Half-sib
selection
with
testcross

Tester can
be more or
less
uniform

Composite selfed
Composite open-pollinated

Source population
Full sib selection
Cross pairs of selected plants
based on
pair crosses

Measures
specific
combining
ability
between
selected plants

Composite remnant cross seed

from combinations with superior progen

Source population
self-pollinate selected plants

Selection from
S1 progeny
offspring test

Only if selfing
is possible

Composite remnant selfed seed

from selected plants with superior progen

Formation
cultivars

of

synthetic
Clones

Source
population
Clone selected
The selected plants
base
Polycross selected
clones are kept
superior clones
to form new
Polycross offspring evaluation
Syn1
regularly
he seeds
cultivar
is propagated
until Syn2-Syn5 to obtain
Clones with high
enough seed
combining ability
With well combining clones
he synthetic can be more
the
uniform and vigorous than
Intercross to Open pollinate
to form syn2
traditional OP cultivars form Syn1

Breeding clonally propagated

species
Plants are highly heterozygous
Often semi-sterile
Often polyploids
Two major breeding methods
Spontaneous
or
induced
mutations
(sports)
Hybridization (often between subspecies /
species)

Hybridization in clonally
propagated species
Clone A X Clone B
Potato
Begonia
Orchids

Select best looking seedlings

Evaluate clones 1-2 seasons

Multiply and market superior clo