Variation for root traits and their genetic control in spring wheat

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Wheat root characters which influence vital plant processes have scarcely been explored for their genetic control. This study was conducted to i) examine the diversity of root traits and associated shoot traits in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars; ii) study the nature of genetic control of selected traits; and iii) examine associations among root and shoot traits. Three experiments were conducted in the greenhouse with plants grown in the vermiculite medium in clear plastic tubes. In the first experiment, 42 spring wheat cultivars were grown for three weeks and measurements were taken on root length, leaf length, root number, leaf number, root dry weight, and top dry weight. In the second study, 15F1's originating from a partial diallel mating of six cultivars along with the parents were evaluated for 4 weeks. The data on root length, leaf length, and root number were subjected to diallel analysis according to Griffing's method 4, fixed model. A third experiment consisted of studying 2 F2 populations with 141 plants per population. In the first study the 42 cultivars exhibited a wide range of variation for all six traits. Diallel analysis revealed significant effects of both general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) for root length, leaf length, and root number. Parents with high GCA estimates were identified. Significant positive correlation coefficients were found among root and shoot traits. Analysis of F2's for root length indicated quantitative nature of inheritance of root length.