Inheritance of hull pubescence and seed color in annual canarygrass

Abstract

The availability of glabrous-hulled annual canarygrass (Phalaris canariensis L.) cultivars with yellow seed color may pave the way for developing this species into a food crop. The objective of this research was to study the inheritance of hull pubescence and seed color in annual canarygrass. A gametocide was applied to plants at Zadoks Growth Stage 42 to induce male sterility. CDC Maria, a glabrous-hulled and brown-seeded cultivar, was crossed with six pubescent-hulled, brownseeded annual canarygrass accessions and with CY193, a pubescent-hulled and yellow-seeded breeding line. In mono-hybrid crosses, segregation ratios of F2 populations were not significantly different from the phenotypic ratios of 3 pubescent-hulled: 1 glabrous-hulled for hull pubescence and 3 brown seeded: 1 yellow seeded for seed color. In the di-hybrid cross, a phenotypic ratio of 9 pubescent-hulled/brown seeded: 3 pubescent-hulled/yellow seeded: 3 glabrous-hulled/brown seeded: 1 glabrous-hulled/yellow seeded was observed. Glabrous-hulled and yellow seeded traits are each controlled by single recessive genes that segregate independently in annual canarygrass. Key words: Phalaris canariensis, canaryseed, inheritance, hull pubescence, seed color