FIELD PERFORMANCE OF DOUBLED HAPLOID BARLEY LINES IN COMPARISON WITH LINES DEVELOPED BY THE PEDIGREE AND SINGLE SEED DESCENT METHODS

Abstract

The performance of 52 doubled haploid (DH) lines from two barley crosses was compared with lines developed by the pedigree (PD) and the single seed descent (SSD) methods. The comparison was made in hill plot tests over a 2-yr period at two locations. There was no difference in grain yield, heading date and plant height between the DH populations and the populations derived by the other two breeding methods. Similar means and ranges, genetic variances and frequencies of desirable genotypes were obtained in the populations produced by the three breeding methods for grain yield, heading date and plant height. The mean grain yields of superior lines were similar for all three methods. There was no indication of deleterious effect of complete homozygosity in the DH lines. In the two crosses examined, the materials generated by the DH method were as good agronomically as those produced by the PD or SSD methods. It was concluded that the doubled haploid technique is a very useful tool for producing high yielding homozygous barley lines in a relatively short time.