Fast‐tracking the evaluation of novel female candidate lines in CMS‐based hybrid breeding

Abstract

Time‐ and resource‐efficient identification of promising lines is of utmost importance in hybrid breeding. Here, we present a novel approach to evaluate female candidate lines for single‐cross hybrids, which saves four to five generations by obtaining general (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effect estimates prior to the introgression of the female lines into a male sterility‐inducing cytoplasm. The approach is based on three‐way crosses and we exemplarily demonstrate its power by predicting 57 single‐cross hybrids of triticale. Prediction accuracies based on GCA or GCA and SCA effects estimated in three‐way hybrids were generally superior to those based on mid‐parent values. Notably, a high proportion of SCA variance had only little influence on the prediction accuracies based on three‐way hybrids. Simulation studies support the empirical findings and illustrate approaches for further optimization. Thus, the presented approach appears highly valuable and has the potential to increase selection gain in hybrid breeding.

Identification of adapted breeding lines to improve barley hybrids for Spain

“…This was due to the limited genetic variability at play because three‐way hybrids only differed in 25 to 50% of the pedigree. The three‐way hybrid strategy was applied because it allowed evaluating the potential of the Spanish germplasm in a hybrid context, prior to their embedding in a CMS cytoplasm, which is a time‐ and cost‐intensive process (Trini et al., 2021).…”

“…T A B L E 6 Effect of non-brittle rachis genotype on hybrids grain yield within and across environments. Grain yield of the three-way hybrids according to the genotype of the Spanish pollinator, grain yield difference between genotypic classes, harvest date, and moisture at harvest for each environment are presented context, prior to their embedding in a CMS cytoplasm, which is a time-and cost-intensive process (Trini et al, 2021). Despite this, phenotypic variation for the main agronomic traits was found.…”