ChileanJAR

In arder to determine the inheritance of the character leaf position and its heredability in a broad sense, a study in four wheat crosses was carried out during 1984/85 and 1985/86, at the La Platina Exp. Sta. (lNIA), Santiago, Chile. The behaviour of about 300 F₂ plants in each cross, and of 100 plants of each progenitor were studied. Afterwards, the F₃ descendents of 195 plants from the F₂ generation were analized. The data from crosses I (Yafén x Aurifén), II (Huelquén x Aurifén) and IV (Huelquén x Trisa), were similar and indicated that leaf position in crosses I and IV is a character determined by two major genes, and by three majar genes in cross II. In cross III (Raco x Yafén), the parentallines presented the same major genes for the character studied, but they were different in secondary genes. The heredability in the broad sense was 0.71, 0.39, 0.39, and 0.54 for crosses I, II, III and IV, respectively. The correlation between the F₂ generation and the F₃ corresponding progenies, was highly significant (r = 0.62). According to this study, the erect leaf character could be easily introduced to new cultivars.