Combining ability of morphological traits and biochemical parameters in carrot (Daucus sativus Röhl.) CMS lines

Abstract

In 2003–2004, at the Lithuanian Institute of Horticulture, the heritability of root morphological traits and biochemical composition in carrot (Daucus sativus Röhl.) lines with cytoplasmic male sterility was investigated in a topcross system. In the carrot CMS lines, genes with additive effects were gound to be more significant for the inheritance of root diameter, and non-additive genes for root length inheritance in the progeny. It was shown that both carrot genotype and environmental conditions are significant for the inheritance of the content of total sugar, soluble solids, carotene and nitrates. Estimation of GCA effects of total sugar revealed the CMS line NS 744 to be the most valuable transmitter of this trait while NS 557 was best for carotene content. A comparison of GCA and SCA of carotene in CMS lines and testers has shown that its content to a higher degree is controlled by genes with additive effects. Both genės with additive effects and non-additive genes genetically control total sugar, soluble solids and nitrates to the same degree. Keywords: carrots, general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA), cytoplasmic male sterility lines (CMS)