Gene Action Governing the Inheritance of Stomatal Conductance in Four Wheat Crosses Under High Temperature Stress Condition

Abstract

The knowledge pertaining to gene action and interactions involved in the inheritance of a character in different generations is crucial for determining the breeding strategies in crop improvement program. In the present study, the gene action of stomatal conductance was determined in four wheat populations under high elevated temperatures coupled with late sowing at experimental farm, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. Steady-state SC-1 leaf porometer was used to record stomatal conductance on adaxial and abaxial leaf surface at late boot (Z 49–50), early milk (Z 73), and late milk (Z 77) growth stages. Evidence for nuclear genetic control of stomatal conductance was strong, with large and repeatable genetic difference observed for parents and progeny across all the four crosses. Mean stomatal conductance for genotypes, GW 322 and GW 366, was consistently low at late boot, early milk, and late milk under timely sown, late sown, and very late sown condition, whereas the converse was true for the high-conducting parents, KAUZ/AA//KAUZ and RAC 875. Additive and additive x additive epistatic effects were large and reasonably consistent at three stages and in all crosses. Detection of epistasis and evidence of transgressive segregation suggested that variation for stomatal conductance was under oligo or polygenic control. Thus, it is conceivable that independent alleles at two or more loci could be pyramided into a single family for increased or decreased stomatal conductance. Additive-based gene action also facilitates with simple selection at early generation to improve stomatal conductance in expected direction. This is the first report on estimates of gene action for stomatal conductance of flag leaf under heat stress condition during reproductive and grain filling stage.