Genetics of weather fleck in Nicotiana tabacum

Abstract

A 2-year study was conducted to investigate additive, dominance, and epistatic gene effects for weather fleck in Maryland tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). P1, P2, F1, F2, P1F1, and P2F1 population means from each of seven crosses were used to estimate gene effects. In general, additive gene effects were more important in the inheritance of weather fleck than dominance or epistatic effects; however, in three of the seven crosses dominance and (or) epistatic gene effects were important. Adequate additive gene effects were present in five of the seven crosses to allow considerable progress towards selection of more weather fleck resistant lines. In two families, because of significant epistatic gene effects, the development of weather fleck resistant lines could be accomplished by producing doubled haploids from desirable F1 plants or by using a reciprocal recurrent selection program.