Abstract
ABSTRACT Recurrent selection can generate successive gains for characters of economic interest without causing genetic narrowing in the population. However, it has rarely been used in breeding programs in popcorn, especially when using full-sibling progenies to generate more expressive gains. The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic gain of the UENF-14 popcorn population through recurrent selection, and verify the evolution of the gains between the selection cycles four and eight. A total of 200 full-sibling progenies were evaluated in randomized blocks arranged in eight sets within three replicates in two environments; each set containing twenty-five progenies and six controls (selection cycles 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the UENF-14, BRS-Angela and IAC-125). The average height, prolificacy, 100-grain weight, ear weight, grain yield, and grain popping expansion of the plants were evaluated. In the selection of the thirty superior progenies for the eighth cycle, the Mulamba and Mock selection index was used, which generated estimated genetic gains of 4.60 for grain yield and 3.61% for popping expansion. The grain yield increased 111.99 kg ha-1 and the popping expansion increased 1.75 mL g-1 per cycle. The evolution of the cycles resulted in an accumulated genetic gain for the main characters of economic importance, allowing the prediction of success in the continuity of the recurrent selection.
Highlights
Popcorn is a very popular food in Brazil; its production is below the potential demand, as evidenced by the large volume of imported grains (FREITAS JÚNIOR et al, 2009)
The study population consisted of 200 full-sibling progenies, obtained in the eighth cycle of the popcorn variety UENF-14 (AMARAL JÚNIOR et al, 2013)
In order to obtain these progenies, one hundred five-meter rows were sowed in April 2013, using recombinant seeds of the seventh recurrent selection cycle of the UENF-14, in an area of the Antônio Sarlo State Agricultural High School, in Campos dos Goytacazes in the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil
Summary
Popcorn is a very popular food in Brazil; its production is below the potential demand, as evidenced by the large volume of imported grains (FREITAS JÚNIOR et al, 2009). In this context, the development and release of new popcorn cultivars are essential to mitigate the dependence on genotypes from foreign countries, and meet the demand of producers and consumers, offering them cultivars and products with the characters of interest. Among the strategies used for this, is the recurrent selection among full-sibling progenies; it is a laborious procedure, it has high efficiency in obtaining considerable genetic progress for grain yield and popping expansion (PEREIRA; AMARAL JÚNIOR, 2001; HALLAUER; CARENA, 2009)
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