Inheritance and breeding value of the “plant height” trait in the first (F<sub>1</sub>) and second (F<sub>2</sub>) soybean generations

Abstract

Рurpose. To investigate inheritance of “plant height” trait in populations of the first (F1) and second (F2) generations of the soybean (Glucine max (L.) Merrill) and evaluate hybrid combinations in order to identify phenotypes with the highest level of heterosis for plant height.Methods. Laboratory test, mathematical and statistical analysis.Results. The inheritance of plant height in soybean was investigated. Hybrid combinations were assessed for the ability to select phenotypes with an optimal height. Different types of inheritance of this trait were found in populations of the second generation. The highest degree of heterosis for plant height was expressed by such soybean hybrids of the second generation as ‘АЕЕМ ’/‘Cherniatka’ (102.6%), next were ‘№ 427/‘Коrado’ (36,1%) and ‘Yelena’/‘Vizhion’ (32,0%). For the above trait, the ‘Legend’ variety in combinations with such varieties as ‘Staroukrainka’, ‘Korado’ and ‘Medeia’ expressed a heterosis amounting to 28.1%, 8.3%, 6.1% accordingly. Plant height was inherited mainly in terms of negative overdominance (34.2% combinations). There were 21.1% of combinations that had a negative semidominance.Conclusions. Among large majority of crossing combinations, forms were revealed that differed greatly for the plant height. The highest variability was observed in combinations such as ‘Legenda’/‘Korado’, ‘Ustia’/‘Vizjion’, ‘№894’/‘Vizjion’, ‘Ug-30’/‘Vizjion’, ‘Legenda’/‘Annushka’, ‘№441’/‘Gentleman’, ‘№441’/‘Vizjion’, ‘Yug-30’/‘Gentleman’, ‘Angelica’/‘Annushka’ and ‘Angelica’/‘Gentleman.