Assessment for Parental Traits in Progeny Development among Segregating Population of Sweetpotato Breeding Lines
Abstract
Progeny development depends on the selection of parents with desirable characteristics which could be genetically incorporated to their future progenies. On this premise, experiment was conducted at the Western experimental field of National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Umuahia Abia State during the 2020 and 2021 cropping season in the rainforest agro-ecology of South-East Nigeria. The objective were to select high yielding and dry matter content breeding lines as parents for progeny development, select breeding lines as parents that are resistant to pathological stresses and select as parents breeding lines with high number of botanical seeds to increase genetic diversity of sweetpotato. Twenty-five breeding lines at AYT (Advance Yield Trial stage) were used. Planting was on the crest of the ridges 0.3m within row and 1.0m between rows in a plot size measuring 3m x 3m and replicated three times in a randomized block design. The breeding lines were subjected to diaelle crossing and all seeds collected from each of the plots were packed in a well labeled envelope. Data collected were on: total number of capsules, total number of seeds, total number of storage roots, and fresh weight of total storage roots, all harvested per plot and percentage dry matter content. Data was also collected on pathological stresses and scored on severity scale of 1 to 9. Data collected were subjected to Analysis of Variance and means were separated using Standard error of difference (S.E.D). Results obtained indicated that the breeding lines selected as parents were resistant/ tolerant to pathological stresses. The high number and weight of storage roots of selected breeding lines agreed with the need for the assessment of breeding lines for selection as parents for breeding programmes. The study identified the following breeding lines for selection as parents: NRSP/UYT/20/22, PO3/36, NRSP/2014/066, NRSP3/017, ERICA, NWA/OP/266, Tio-Joe, NRSP/11 and Smiles. Their performance on the traits evaluated was higher than the check variety and was selected to be valuable source of new parents. They have relatively high dry matter content making them acceptable for use in progeny development.
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