Estimates of Genetic and Environmental Effects on Several Traits in Peach1

Abstract

Estimates were obtained of the means, variances, and heritabilities of 10 commercially important traits from approx 200 parents and their more than 2,000 offspring observed over a period of 8 years. After adjustment of measurements for the effects of yearly variations in climate, heritabilities were found to be very high for ripe date; high for bloom date, amount of bloom, fruit length, suture, and cheek; modest for fruit firmness and acidity; and low for percent soluble solids and crop. The implications of these results on the design and execution of breeding programs in such crops are discussed.

Inheritance of Short Fruit Development Period in Peach1

“…Heritability estimates for length of FDP are similar to those found in other peach populations (4). Heritabilities (h2) for length of fruit development as calculated by Harvey's (5) models 3 ,5 , and6 were0.73 ± 0.2,0.74 ± 0.1, and0.98 ± 0.3, respectively.…”

“…A short fruit development period (FDP) in peach is an important economic character, and most breeding programs have early ripening as a major breeding objective. Studies of the genetic aspects of a short FDP have presented distributions of maturity time in populations from self-and cross-pollinations (2,3,10), progeny distributions ratios (1), and heritability of maturity time (4). Early ripening, time of ripening, ripening date, and maturity time are nearly synonymous with length of FDP in temperate-zone peaches, as most cultivars tend to bloom together.…”

Inheritance of Fruit Size in the Cultivated Tetraploid Blackberry [Rubus (Tourn.) L. subgenus Eubatus]1

“…This estimate is fairly close to the max imum heritability estimate, indicating that most of the genetic variability (82%) is transmittable through the gametes (i.e., ga metic transmission efficiency is high). High heritabilities for fruit size have been reported in several other fruit species (2,8,10,11,12,20).…”

“…Marshall et al ( 9) obtained a high correlation with balloon bloating using an Instron Universal Testing Ma chine to measure the force required to separate the carpels of a 6-mm slice of a grade 3 fruit. Sneed and Bowers (11) obtained high correlations (r = 0.804) between balloon bloating and the frequency of carpel separation in green stock.…”

“…This disorder can result in serious losses since about 50% of the pickling cucumber crop is stored in brine before processing. Carpel separation, fruit firmness, and skin toughness were all closely associated with balloon bloating (11). The separation of carpels was also associated with a delay in processing after harvest (10) and with damage caused by mechanical harvesting and grading (7,8).…”