Abstract
Abstract The onset of flowering is decisive to the reproductive success of plants. The objectives of this study were to characterize the phenotypic variation in heading date and estimate its heritability in segregating populations of oat (Avena sativa L.). F2 and F3 generations of two large populations, derived from crosses ‘URS Taura × Leggett’ and ‘FL0206B-S-B-S1 × UFRGS 078030-1’, were evaluated. A wide phenotypic variation in the number of days to heading was observed in both populations. Heritability coefficients of 0.68 and 0.46 were estimated for the ‘URS Taura × Leggett’ and ‘FL0206B-S-B-S1 × UFRGS 078030-1’ populations. Our results demonstrate that genetic differences derived from parents in response to photoperiod and temperature explain most of the phenotypic variation in heading date of oat populations. Understanding genetic and environmental effects on flowering expression is essential to increase the response to selection for well-adapted and high-yielding oat cultivars.
Highlights
Cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.) is grown in an area of over 10 million hectares, and roughly 26 million tons of grains are harvested annually around the world (FAOSTAT 2019)
The transition from the vegetative phase to the reproductive phase in oats occurs in response to photoperiod, temperature, and vernalization
The objectives of this study were to characterize the phenotypic variation in heading date and estimate its heritability in segregating populations of hexaploid oat (Avena sativa L.)
Summary
Cultivated oat (Avena sativa L.) is grown in an area of over 10 million hectares, and roughly 26 million tons of grains are harvested annually around the world (FAOSTAT 2019). The adaptation of oats to a specific growth area is directly associated with the ability of plants to synchronize the onset of flowering with the appropriate environmental conditions for reproduction. The transition from the vegetative phase to the reproductive phase in oats occurs in response to photoperiod, temperature, and vernalization. Oat is a long-day crop in which earlier flowering is promoted under longer photoperiods in many genotypes (Sorrells and Simmons 1992). Oat genotypes vary in their response to vernalization, and both spring and winter forms of A. sativa exist worldwide (Nava et al 2012)
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