Marcelo Teixeira Pacheco

Inheritance of aluminum tolerance and its effects on grain yield and grain quality in oats (Avena sativa L.)

SummaryAluminum toxicity due to the cation Al+3 is a major factor limiting yields in acid soils. Wide genetic variability to aluminum tolerance is found in oat genotypes. The objectives of this study were to determine the number of genes controlling aluminum tolerance in oats and to verify if any detrimental effects were present of the aluminum tolerance genes on grain yield and grain quality in Al+3free soils. Aluminum tolerance was estimated as the average regrowth of the main root after exposure to toxic levels of Al+3 in a hydroponic solution under controlled conditions. The number of genes controlling that trait was estimated from the distribution of the average root regrowth frequencies in a population of 333 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) in generations F5:6 and F5:7. The effects on grain yield and grain quality were assessed in a subpopulation of 162 RILs chosen based on their aluminum tolerance response. Aluminum tolerance in the evaluated population was controlled by one dominant major gene with the tolerant genotypes carying AlaAla and the sensitive ones alaala alleles. No detrimental effects of the Ala allele on grain yield or grain quality were detected.

Inheritance of resistance to oat crown rust in recombinant inbred lines

Crown rust is the main disease affecting oats (Avena sativa L.), and genetic resistance has been the chief method utilized to control this disease. A population composed of 135 recombinant inbred lines, F 5:6 , generated by crossing the oat cultivar UFRGS 8 with the genotype Pc68/5*Starter, was assessed on the inheritance of resistance to crown rust (Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae P. Syd. & Syd.). The evaluation of resistance in F 5:6 seedlings was based on the type of infection resulting from inoculation with the race SQPT of P. coronata f. sp. avenae. The proportion of Resistant: Susceptible seedlings (R:S) was 62:64, which indicates that inheritance was governed by a single gene. The assessment of resistance inheritance in adult plants was performed in the field during the years 2004 and 2005. The distinction between resistant and susceptible classes was based on the final severity (FS) as well as the area under the disease progress curve, which was normalized and corrected (AUDPC*c). F 5:6 and F 5:7 were evaluated under field conditions in 2004 and 2005, demonstrating a ratio of approximately 1R:3S, which fits with a typical two genes inheritance model.

Phenotypic and genetic characterization of partial resistance to crown rust in Avena sativa L.

Crown rust is a major oat disease. Partial resistance is a promising option for disease control for being potentially more durable than complete resistance. The objective of this study was to investigate the inheritance of partial resistance to crown rust in oat populations that were derived from a cross between cultivar URS 21 (partially resistant) and URS 22 (susceptible). In 2010, the six basic generations (P1, P2, F1, F2, BC1, and BC2) were sown in the field, and resistance to crown rust was assessed using the area under the disease progress curve, normalized and corrected for each individual plant. The inheritance of the trait partial resistance was oligogenic, indicating the presence of genes with both major and minor phenotypic effects. Additive and dominance effects were important to determine the partial resistance and the heritability estimates were high, indicating the possibility of selection for resistance in early generations.

SELEÇÃO INDIRETA EM AVEIA PARA O INCREMENTO NO RENDIMENTO DE GRÃOS

Different traits of economic importance for oat are correlated to each other in magnitude and varied sense. Such fact implies that the selection on a character can provide changes in the other, whose result can be or not interesting. Thus, the quantification of direct and indirect selection effects of one or several traits on others are of fundamental importance to guide improvement programs, representing the objective of this paper. 58 oat genotypes were evaluated, in Pelotas, RS, Brazil, in random block design with three replicates, on which phenotypic evaluations were conducted. These data were used to determine the simple correlation coefficients among variables. Starting from these coefficients, the path analysis procedure was applied on grain yield trait. In agreement with the obtained results, no analyzed variable presented direct effect on the grain yield similar to the phenotypic correlations coefficient, showing the existence of another traits influencing both in the magnitude and in the sense of the correlation, preventinng isolated selection on grain yield. Panicle weight showed the highest positive correlation with grain yield. However, stature and head date showed lower correlation coefficients, what makes difficult the indirect selection for grain yields. Grain number and grain weight, although positive and contributing to determine panicle weight, showed intermediary correlation with grain yield. Thus, to consider the effects of panicle weight, grain number and grain weight seems to be the best strategy for indirect selection of grain yield in oat.

ALUMINIUM TOLERANCE OF OAT CULTIVARS UNDER HYDROPONIC AND ACID SOIL CONDITIONS

Aluminium toxicity is an important abiotic factor limiting the growth and yield of oat plants ( Avena sativa L.) and other cultivated species. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the response of oat cultivars at the reproductive stage to aluminium under acid soil conditions and to compare with the responses observed at seedling stage under hydroponic conditions. In the soil, the damage to the above-ground part of the plant was estimated by the morphological response to aluminium, shoot length, shoot dry mass and plant height and, to the below-ground part of the plant as the length of roots and root dry mass. In hydroponics, the primary root regrowth was used to define the level of tolerance. The comparison of the results obtained in acid soil with those obtained in hydroponics demonstrated that both conditions produced essentially the same responses. The use of hydroponic solution can be a valuable tool for phenotyping large populations, especially useful for breeding programmes located in regions were aluminium is not present at toxic levels in the soil.

Lesion size as a criterion for screening oat genotypes for resistance to leaf spot

In Brazil, increased leaf spot disease (Pyrenophora chaetomioides Speg.) frequency and intensity on cultivated spring oat (Avena sativa) requires that plant pathologists and breeders rapidly identify oat genotypes with greater resistance. Criteria are needed to compare and evaluate oat genotypes to screen large numbers of lines, quantification of resistance components under controlled conditions allowing year-long screening and the rejection of susceptible lines before lengthy field trials. There is a need to determine which resistance components are associated with leaf spot intensity in the field, as estimated from the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). We assessed various oat P. chaetomioides resistance components under controlled conditions in seedlings of 26 oat genotypes chosen from recommended varieties and elite breeding lines to determine the association of resistance components with the AUDPC, obtained by evaluating each genotype in the field. The resistance components estimated were: initial lesion size (ILS) and final lesion size (FLS); rate of lesion expansion (r); and area under the normalized and corrected lesion expansion curve (AULECc). All correlations were positive and significant at p = 0.01 and were distributed into moderate (0.5 < r < 0.8) and strong (0.8 ≤ r < 1) correlation classes. The strongest average correlations occurred with the AULECc (0.827), ILS (0.801) and FLS (0.801) components. These results indicate which components may be useful in resistance screening, with FLS possibly being the most useful criterion because it is less laborious to obtain and speeds up the selection process for leaf spot resistance.

Analysis of self-fertilization and meiotic behavior of eleven Brazilian triticale cultivars at two sowing dates

Received 29 March 2010Accepted 15 September 2010ABSTRACT - Eleven Brazilian hexaploid triticale cultivars (2n = 6x = 42), from three breeding programs, were evaluated for theirability of self-fertilization in 2006 and for meiotic behavior, meiotic index and pollen viability at two sowing dates in 2007. Highpotential of self-fertilization was observed, with values up to 89.52 %. Many irregularities were found in the meiotic analysis, suchas the presence of univalents, laggard chromosomes and micronuclei in tetrads, which compromised both meiotic behavior andmeiotic index. At the first sowing date, more suitable for normal plant development, overall mean values of 52.68 % for normal cellsand 64.95 % for meiotic index were observed. At the second sowing date, less appropriate for the crop, overall means of 52.23 %for normal cells and 58.24 % for meiotic index were obtained. Despite all the irregularities, considerable pollen viability wasobserved, reaching overall means of 92.08 % and 91.07 % for the first and second sowing dates, respectively.Key words : Triticale ; self-fer tilization; meiosis; pollen viability .

Herança do peso de grãos primários e secundários de aveia

The development of varieties with high grain physical quality, yield and adaptation is one of the main objectives of the oat breeding programs in the South of Brazil. Grain weight is one of the criteria used to determine oat quality and, in order to define the best strategies for the improvement of this trait, it is important to study its genetic basis. Until now, studies of this nature have not been conducted with the Brazilian oat genotypes. This work was carried out with the objective of studying the inheritance of primary and secondary oat grain weight. Samples of 20 primary and secondary grains of a variable number of plants from the generations P1, P2, F1, F2 and F3 from five crosses were weighted. From these data, frequency distributions, variances and the predominant gene effects were obtained and heritability values were estimated in the broad sense and using the parent-offspring regression. The results showed that there is variability in early generations for the weight of primary and secondary grains and that additive and dominance are the main acting gene effects. The presence of major genes was not detected in the expression of these traits. Continuous variation in the F2 generation and low to moderate heritabilities indicate that low selection pressures are recommended in early generations.

Characterization for plant height and flowering date in the biological species oat

4 ABSTRACT - The use of wild oat races in artificial hybridization with cultivated oat ( Avena sativa L.) has been used as a way of increasing the variability. This work aimed to identify the variability for plant height and flowering date of groups of cultivated oat genotypes, wild introductions of A. fatua L. and segregating populations of natural crosses between A. sativa and A. fatua. Wide genetic variability was observed for both traits in the groups and between them. The wild group of A. fatua L. showed high plants with early maturity, but in the segregating group there was reduced plant height and early maturity. The wild introductions of A. fatua L. studied in this work can be used in oat breeding programs to increase genetic variability by transferring specific characters into the cultivated germ plasm.

Phenotypic, cytogenetic and spike fertility characterization of a population of male-sterile triticale

Triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) is a good cereal for production of flour and feed. A segregating population of triticale was developed from a male-sterile (MS) plant. To determine whether this new source of male sterility in triticale is appropriate for use in breeding programs the expression of the male sterility phenotype was characterized through spike fertility, meiotic behavior, and pollen. Controlled crosses between male-sterile plants and control varieties male-fertile (MF) of triticale were also conducted, and cytological analyses were performed in the F2 and backcross plants. Plants with male-sterile phenotypes displayed reduced spike fertility when compared to plants with male-fertile phenotypes. Compared to male-fertile plants, male-sterile plants exhibited a lower percentage of normal meiotic cells, a reduced meiotic index and reduced pollen viability. The F2 plants had improved pollen fertility when compared to the male-sterile population; however there were no corresponding improvements in the percentage of normal meiotic cells or in the meiotic index. A single generation of backcrosses resulted in an improved meiotic index and increased pollen viability. However, no changes in the percentage of normal meiotic cells were observed. Meiotic instability, which was shown to be inheritable, was the likely cause of male sterility. Therefore, the use of this population in triticale breeding was considered to be inappropriate because it could promote or contribute to the maintenance of meiotic instability, which is commonly observed in this species.