PRINCIPLES OF CROP PRODUCTION

ABT-320
(3 CREDIT HOURS)

LECTURE 8
BACKCROSS METHOD GENETIC BASIS OF INBREEDING PLANT HYBRIDIZATION

BACKCROSS METHOD
The crossing of an F1 hybrid with either of its parent is referred to as backcross. It is used as a method of breeding to improve an otherwise high yielding and popular variety for a specific character. A superior variety which needs improvement for a special character serves as the recipient or recurrent parent. The donor or non-recurrent parent acts as a source of gene(s) to be added to the recurrent parent. Any character with good testability can be transferred in this way. Oligogenes can easily be transferred by this backcross method. However, this method can be employed even in the case of polygenic characters.

THE GENETIC BASIS OF INBREEDING

Backcross method involves a type of inbreeding since the F1 is repeatedly backcrossed with the recipient parent. The F1 contains 50 percent genes from each of the two parents. Repeated backcrossing of the F1 with the recurrent parent would systematically increase the proportions of gene from the recurrent parent at the cost of the genes from the donor parent.

THE PROCEDURE OF BACKCROSS METHOD

It involves: 1. 2. 3. Transfer of a single dominant gene Transfer of a recessive gene Transfer of a quantitative character

TRANSFER OF A SINGLE DOMINANT GENE

The recurrent (rr) and donor (RR) parents are crossed to produce the F1 (Rr). The recurrent parent is usually used as the female parent. If a cytoplasmic character is transferred, the recurrent parent is used as the male parent. In the second season, the F1 plants are backcrossed to the recurrent parent to produce the first backcross generation (BC1) seeds. In the third season, the BC1 plants which consist of Rr and rr in equal proportions are subjected to screening for the character under transfer. The desirable plants are selected and crossed with the recurrent parent to produce the BC2 seeds. In the fourth season, the BC2 plants are grown and they will also segregate in the 1:1 (Rr:rr) ratio. The dominant plants are selected and backcrossed with the recurrent parent to produce the BC3 seeds.

TRANSFER OF A SINGLE DOMINANT GENE

In the fifth season, BC3 plants (Rr:rr) are grown and BC4 seeds are collected as in the case of the previous generation. In the sixth season, BC4 plants are grown and evaluated. If only four backcrosses are planned, the desirable BC4 plants are self-pollinated and BC4F2 seeds are produced. In the seventh season, the BC4F2 segregates in the 1:2:1 (RR:Rr:rr) ratio. The recessive plants are eliminated and others are self-pollinated to produce BC4F3 seeds. In the eighth generation, BC4F3 plants are raised in progeny rows. Progenies produced by the homozygous (RR) BC4F2 plants will be uniform for the desired characters, whereas the progenies produced from Rr plants will show segregation. All the uniform progeny rows with the desired character are bulked and released as the improved variety.

TRANSFER OF A RECESSIVE GENE

In this case, the donor parent will be the recessive and usually it is taken as the male parent. In the first season, the dominant x recessive cross is made and F1 seeds are collected. In the second season, the F1 is grown and backcrossed with the recurrent (dominant) parent and the BC1 seeds are collected. In the third season, the BC1 is grown and selfed to produce BC1F2 seeds. In the fourth season, the BC1F2 is grown, the dominant plants are eliminated and the other plants are selected and crossed with the recurrent parent to produce the BC2. In the fifth season, the BC2 is crossed with the recurrent parent to produce the BC3 generation. In the sixth season, the BC3 is grown; selfed and BC3F2 seeds are collected. In the seventh season, the BC3F2 is grown, dominant plants are eliminated and others are selected. BC4 seeds collected from the selected plants. In the eighth generation, the BC4 plants are grown and selfed to produce the BC4F2 seeds. In the ninth season, BC4F2 is grown and recessive plants are selected, their seeds bulked and the progeny will be the desired strain of the recurrent parent with the recessive gene from the nonrecurrent parent transferred to it.

TRANSFER OF A QUANTITATIVE CHARACTER

Since more number of loci are involved in the control of a quantitative character and the relative influence of environment in the expression of such traits is higher, a relatively large population is to be sampled in each backcross generation. The F1 is raised in the first season by crossing the recurrent parent and the donor parent. In the second season, BC1 is produced. Sufficient quantity of crossed seeds is produced so as to facilitate selection in the BC1 itself. In the third season, the BC1 plants are evaluated and those with high intensity of the character under transfer are selected since they carry the maximum number of genes for the character. BC1F2 seeds are produced by selfing. In the fourth season, the BC1F2 is raised and is evaluated both for the character under transfer and the general features of the recurrent parent. Plants resembling the recurrent parent with the highest intensity of the character under transfer are selected and harvested individually.

TRANSFER OF A QUANTITATIVE CHARACTER

In the fifth season, BC1F3 is raised in progeny rows from the above seeds and evaluated extensively for the character under transfer and general features of the recurrent parent. The selected F3 plants are crossed with the recurrent parent to produce BC3 seeds. In the seventh season, the BC3 plants are grown and selected for the character under transfer and the general feature of the recurrent parent. At the end, a number of line resembling the recurrent parent and showing the character under transfer are bulked to constitute the modified variety of the recurrent parent.

MERITS & LIMITATIONS OF BACKCROSS METHOD

This method is very effective to transfer a desired trait to an otherwise improved variety. Evaluation of the variety can be limited to the extent of confirming the transfer of the character under consideration. It provides the ideal solution to utilize the unique properties of an otherwise unadapted germplasm. The limitation of backcross method is that the procedure is time consuming and it does not result in the improvement of other characters.

THE END