Heterotic Pools

Contents
Introduction

Heterotic groups and patterns

History

Method of developing

A new method to develop heterotic groups

Objectives of heterotic groups and heterotic patterns

Conclusion
 Introduction

• The application of heterosis is one of the most important

contributions of plant genetics to the development of agricultural
technology in terms of productivity of maize, cotton and many
other crops.
• An increase in genetic diversity doesn’t increase the heterosis, the
combining ability of the lines has to be routinely checked.
• So development of hybrid oriented heterotic populations
(genetically diverse populations) and application of schemes for
improving combining ability is an integral part of hybrid breeding.
• In this regard the concept of heterotic grouping includes the
subdivision of the germplasm available into divergent populations.
A heterotic group
Group of related or unrelated genotypes from the same or
different populations, which display a similar combining ability and
heterotic response when crossed with genotypes from other
genetically distinct germplasm groups.

A heterotic pattern
Specific pair of two heterotic groups, which may be
populations or lines, that express in their crosses high heterosis
and consequently high hybrid performance.
 History of Heterotic groups

 1942 - Sprague and Tatum gave GCA and SCA effects

 1947- Reid and Lancaster group in US

 1980s- Research on Heterotic group started

 1992- Melchinger studied application of molecular marker

2001- KADLUBIEC et al ., Flint and dent types of maize inbred lines

reported a higher proportion of GCA effects than SCA effects for yield and
various other agronomic traits.
Why HETEROTIC GROUPS…???

(i) A higher mean heterosis and hybrid performance and

(ii)A reduced specific combining ability (SCA) variance and a lower ratio of .
. SCA to general combining ability (GCA) variance.

Assigning lines to heterotic groups would avoid the development and evaluation of
crosses that should be discarded, allowing maximum heterosis to be exploited by
crossing inbred lines belonging to different heterotic groups.
Heterotic groups can be identified by evaluating testcross performance among
available germplasm in field trials. Nevertheless, the large number of parental inbred
lines available in a breeding program makes the evaluation of all possible crosses
impractical.

To overcome this problem, Melchinger (1999) suggested;

(i) Clustering germplasm based on genetic similarities using

Molecular markers.

(ii) Selecting representative genotypes from each subgroup.

(iii) Evaluating crosses among representative genotypes in field trials.

(iv) Finally selecting heterotic groups based on hybrid performance or its

components, namely heterosis and per se performance.
 Importance of maintaining Heterotic pools

Maintaining genetically distinct heterotic pools leads

to:
• Developing parent lines that are unrelated by
descent
• Increased allelic diversity among the heterotic pools
• Increased degree of heterozygosity in the resulting
hybrids.
• Sustainable hybrid breeding
Methods for developing heterotic groups

 Pedigree analysis
Ex- Wu (1983) attempted to classify inbred lines of maize into 4 or 5 groups based on
pedigree analysis and to predict heterotic patterns used in China

 Geographical isolation inference

Ex- Hybrid rice development in China- two heterotic groups that is early season indica from
southern China and mid or late-season indica from Southeast Asia were identified for
three-line hybrid rice based on wild abortive (WA) male sterile cytoplasm (Yuan 1977).

Measurement of heterosis, combining ability

analysis and GY information
Ex- 14 maize inbred lines in Iran, were crossed in a diallel mating design for investigation of
combining ability of genotypes for grain yield and to determine heterotic patterns among
germplasm sources, using both, the Griffing‘s method and the biplot approach for diallel
analysis (Bidhendi et al., 2012).

 Molecular markers
Criteria for establishment of heterotic group or pattern

According to Melchinger,

1. High mean performance and large genetic variance in the hybrid

.population.
2. High per se performance and good adaptation of the parent
Populations in the target region(s).
3. Low inbreeding depression.

Approaches for the identification of heterotic patterns

4. Assemble large number of germplasm and make parent

populations of crosses from among which highest performing hybrids are
selected as potential heterotic groups and patterns

5. Performance of the putative patterns with the established ones is

compared
Strategies for the Establishment of Heterotic Pools

(Cress, 1967) (Melchinger and Gumber, 1998)

 List of heterotic groups and patterns

CROP HETEROTIC GROUPS AUTHOR

Maize Lancaster, Reid, SPT and P (introduced Wang et al. 2008

from Pioneer hybrids)
BSSS, PA (group A germplasm derived from Xie et al. (2008)
modern US hybrids in China), PB (group B
germplasm derived from modern US hybrids
in China), Lan, LRC (Luda Reb Cob) and SPT
(Si-ping-tou)

Reid, Lancaster, P group, TSPT (Tang Wu et al. (2013b)

Sipingtou), and Tem-tropic I group (5)

Rapeseed Asian, European winter-type and Qian et al. (2009)

Canadian and European spring-type

Rice Eearly season indica varieties from central Yuan et al. (1977)
and southern China and indica varieties from
Southeast Asia, mostly from IRRI
Steps involved in development of heterotic group

Phenotypic characterization and diversity studies

Studies on Plant types and Physiological

process

Identifying Ideal Plant types

Studies on hybrid performance and combining ability

Development heterotic groups

Exploitation of heterotic groups through Reciprocal

selection for combining ability

Broad based population and Trait Based Population

A very new method to develop heterotic groups is
suggested by Patil
• This basic formula: HF1 =Σ dy2 explains how performance
(heterosis) of hybrid depends on genetic diversity and extent of
dominance existing at different yield influencing .
• Development of hybrid oriented heterotic populations and
application of schemes for improving combining ability is an
integral part of hybrid breeding in maize and other cross-
pollinated crops.
• In the recent years the concept of developing heterotic
populations is put to test in often self-pollinated crops like cotton.
• Population improvement schemes have led to the development of
maize lines with improved combining ability.
Various heterotic groups and heterotic patterns in different crops
Objectives of heterotic groups and heterotic patterns
development

 To get higher mean heterosis and hybrid performance.

 To reduce the specific combining ability (SCA) variance and
a lower ratio of SCA to general combining ability (GCA)
variance.
 To save the time of hybrid development.
 To Utilize new germplasm to broaden the genetic background
of hybrid.
 Future research into heterotic patterns and groups

• To enrich the germplasm pool

• To develop a simple, more efficient method of
identifying
heterotic groups and patterns
• To define the genetic interactions and molecular
mechanisms involved in heterotic patterns

“The single most important element of a breeding program is

the recognition and utilization of heterotic pattern. This
recognition both simplifies and increases the efficiency of all
subsequent operations”
(Sprague, 1984)
Conclusion
Thank you