Analysis of Grain Yield and its Associated Traits in Barley Using Generation Mean Approach

Abstract

Generation mean analysis was conducted on three barley crosses—DL 88 x K 560, K 603 x Azad, and RD 2552 x NDB 1020—to explore gene effects on yield and its components. Six morphological traits were examined across F1, F2, BC1, and BC2 generations, alongside parental lines P1 and P2. The study found that for certain traits like number of effective tillers/plant in DL88 x K560, and length of main spike and grain yield/plant in RD 2552 x NDB1020, additive x additive (i) epistatic effect was more prominent than dominance x dominance (l) epistatic effect. In RD 2552 x NDB 1020, traits such as length of main spike, weight of grains/main spike, 1000-grain weight, and grain yield/plant showed significantly higher values, indicating dominance x dominance (l) epistasis. Selection for these traits may be more effective if delayed until dominance and epistasis effects diminish. Additionally, the presence of additive × additive (i) type gene interaction and duplicate epistasis in certain traits suggests the potential for obtaining transgressive segregants in subsequent generations. The study underscores the significance of both additive and non-additive gene interactions across all examined traits.