Purpose. To determine the peculiarities of the manifestation of combining ability and the mode of inheritance of yield-related traits in winter barley and to identify genetic sources and promising hybrid combinations for further breeding efforts under conditions of Ukrainian Forest-steppe.
Methods. The research was conducted in 2018/19 and 2021/22 at the V. M. Remeslo Myronivka Institute of Wheat of NAAS of Ukraine. In accordance with generally accepted methods, the degree of phenotypic dominance, heterobeltiosis and effects of general combining ability in the top-cross hybrids of winter barley for key yield components were determined.
Results. The variability of the manifestation level of the studied traits in parental components and hybrids in different years were established. According to the indicator of the degree of phenotypic dominance, the variability of the character of inheritance was revealed depending on the traits, hybrid combinations and growing conditions. Hybrid combinations with positive overdominance and dominance of individual yield components were highlighted. In particular, according to plant productivity these combination are: ‘Scarpia’ / ‘MIP Darii’, ‘Scarpia’ / ‘MIP Korsar’, ‘Aborygen’ / ‘MIP Corsar’, ‘Titus’ / ‘MIP Status’, ‘MIP Yanus’ / ‘MIP Status’, ‘Titus’ / ‘Paladin Myronivskyi’, ‘Maybrit’ / ‘Paladin Myronivskyi’ ‘MIP Yanus’ / ‘Paladin Myronivskyi’. The varieties with increased effects of general combining ability for yield-related traits under different growing conditions were distinguished. As follows: productive tillering – ‘Scarpia’, ‘MIP Darii’; grain number per ear – ‘MIP Yanus’, ‘MIP Hladiator’, ‘MIP Status’; 1000 grain weight – ‘Titus’, ‘MIP Korsar’, ‘MIP Status’; grain weight per plant – ‘MIP Yanus’, ‘MIP Status’, ‘MIP Darii’.
Conclusions. Selected hybrid combinations with positive overdominance and dominance are of practical value for further breeding to increase individual components and plant productivity in general. The varieties with increased effects of general combining ability are valuable genetic sources for involvement in crossing for improving the certain traits.