Abstract
Different methods of diallel crossing are commonly used in plant breeding. The diallel cross analysis method proposed by Hayman is particularly useful because it provides information, among others, on additive and dominance effects of genes, average degree of dominance, proportion of dominance, direction of dominance, distribution of genes, maternal and reciprocal effects, number of groups of genes that control a trait and exhibit dominance, ratio of dominant to recessive alleles in all the parents, and broad-sense and narrow-sense heritability. In this paper, we fully describe a SAS-based software SASHAYDIALL for performing a complete diallel cross analysis based on Hayman’s model with or without reciprocals. We demonstrate the use of SASHAYDIALL with two data sets; one is a published diallel cross data set with reciprocals in cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.), and the second is a data set from a multilocation diallel cross trial in maize (Zea mays L.) without reciprocals. With SASHAYDIALL, diallel experiments conducted in single sites can be analyzed to estimate various genetic parameters, and this analysis is extended over locations or environments to assess genetic effect × environment interaction. SASHAYDIALL is user-friendly software that provides detailed genetic information from diallel crosses involving any number of parents and locations.
Highlights
Different methods of diallel crossing are commonly used in plant breeding
The analyses proposed by Jinks and Hayman (1953) and described in more detail by Hayman (1954a, 1954b) are robust in terms of genetic information generated and provide information on additive and dominance effects of genes, average degree of dominance, proportion of dominance, direction of dominance, distribution of genes, maternal and reciprocal effects, number of groups of genes that control a trait and exhibit dominance, ratio of dominant to recessive alleles in all the parents, and broad-sense (H2) and narrow-sense (h2) heritability
The SASHAYDIALL program described in this paper is based on models for analysis of a diallel developed by Jinks and Hayman (1953) and Hayman (1954a, 1954b), and extended by Morley Jones (1965) for the half-diallel, which is frequently used
Summary
Different methods of diallel crossing are commonly used in plant breeding. The diallel cross analysis method proposed by Hayman is useful because it provides information, among others, on additive and dominance effects of genes, average degree of dominance, proportion of dominance, direction of dominance, distribution of genes, maternal and reciprocal effects, number of groups of genes that control a trait and exhibit dominance, ratio of dominant to recessive alleles in all the parents, and broadsense and narrow-sense heritability. We have no information on a widely available program in SAS (SAS Institute, 2014) to analyze a diallel cross data set from multiple locations or environments according to Hayman’s method with comprehensive output. The key assumptions for analysis of diallel cross data based on Hayman’s method are (i) diploid segregation, (ii) homozygous parents, (iii) no differences between reciprocal crosses, (iv) no epistasis, (v) no multiple alleles, and (vi) independent distribution of genes among the parents ( Jinks and Hayman, 1953; Hayman, 1954a, 1954b).
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