Agronomic Properties Assessed for Population of Recombinant Inbred Lines of Rye (Seceale cereale L.) with Known Responses to Nutrient Deficiency Stress at the Seedling Stage

Abstract

The experiment was established and carried out in light and slightly acidic soil in the years 2008-2010. The research material included one hundred thirty-eight RILs (F8:10) of rye with known response to nutrient stress were determined at the seedling stage obtained in vitro in mature embryos cultures and in two parental inbred lines and F1. The following factors were determined in the full maturity stage of each RIL: plant height, spike length, plant tillering, spikelet number per spike, grain number per spike, spike fertility, grain weight per spike, grain weight per plant and 1000 grain weight. Differences in the examined traits were found between parental inbred lines, and the heterosis effect was observed in F1 hybrid. The range of variability of the examined functional traits demonstrated in the population of RILs proved the transgression effect. The analyzed RILs were arranged into six groups and described with the use of Ward’s agglomerative method and grouping variables: spike fertility, grain weight per spike and per plant, thousand grain weight. Significant differences were found among other things between spike morphology and fertility traits and yield per a plant. The possibility of selection of RILs with extreme traits described both in the field and laboratory experiments in comparison with known tolerance to nutrient stress was described. The obtained correlation coefficients for the examined functional traits of RILs were in accordance with those published in reference literature. The correlation coefficients determined for selected seedling traits from the laboratory experiment and for selected traits of a mature plant may prove the usefulness of the test in studies on selection of genotypes desired for sustainable agriculture or for research on heritability of traits of tolerance to nutrient stress.