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Genetic interaction and inheritance of biochemical traits can predict tolerance of hybrid maize cv. SC704 to drought

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Abstract

To study gene action and inheritance of some biochemical traits generation mean and generation variance analyses of basic seven generations B73 (as maternal line), MO17 (as paternal line), F1, F2, F3, BC1, and BC2 were conducted at the University of Tabriz agricultural research station (NW-Iran) in 2017. The generations were sown in PVC pipes using a RCBD with 20 replications under three water regimes (100% FC, 55% and 75% available water depletion). The results revealed that based on percent increase of polyphenol oxidase, soluble sugars and proline, SC704 and MO17 were ranked as resistant (enhancement 41.39%, 58.39% and 55.47% in SC704 and 34.25%, 53.75% and 64.51% in MO17, respectively) under severe stress condition. Pearson’s correlation and principal component analysis indicated polyphenol oxidase activity most correlated with proline and soluble sugars and suggest that the important role of these traits in antioxidative defense mechanisms. The findings of the generation mean analysis implied the existence of digenic interactions. The prevalence of dominance variance and low narrow-sense heritability (0.07–0.47) for catalase, peroxidases, and polyphenol oxidase activities under severe stress condition suggest the utilization of a hybrid breeding program such as heterosis and selection in the later generation to facilitate breeding for improvement of these traits. In contrast, additive genetic variance and high narrow-sense heritability (0.53–0.71) for protein content, proline concentration and soluble sugars under severe stress condition revealed that the selection in the parents’ inbred lines or early segregating generations could be useful to improve the aforementioned traits in the maize.

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili and University of Tabriz for the financial supports [Grant No. 2312] of the study.

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  1. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

    Mozhgan Shirinpour & Ali Asghari

  2. Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

    Saeid Aharizad

  3. Department of Water Engineering, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

    Ali Rasoulzadeh

  4. Khorasan Razavi Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center, Mashhad, Iran

    Saeed Khavari Khorasani

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Shirinpour, M., Asghari, A., Aharizad, S. et al. Genetic interaction and inheritance of biochemical traits can predict tolerance of hybrid maize cv. SC704 to drought. Acta Physiol Plant 42, 124 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-020-03110-3

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