Genetics of Winter Hardiness in 10 Lentil Recombinant Inbred Line Populations

Abstract

Available winter hardy lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) germplasm has prompted interest in the development and use of cultivars that can be fall planted in cold highland areas. This change in production of lentil from normally spring sown to fall sown is environmentally sound and increases yield potential. Understanding the mode of inheritance of winter hardiness in lentil would assist breeding efforts. The objectives of this study were to determine the inheritance and heritability of winter hardiness in lentil. Ten F6 derived recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations from crosses of winter hardy germplasm lines with nonhardy germplasm were planted in a randomized complete block design with three replications at Haymana, and Sivas, Turkey, and at Pullman, WA, USA, between 1997 and 2001. Meaningful data for an analysis of the inheritance of winter hardiness were available only at Haymana in 1997‐1998 and at Pullman in 1998‐1999, indicating infrequent occurrences of sufficiently cold winters to provide differential killing. Percent survival was calculated on the basis of plant stand counts recorded after establishment in the fall and regrowth in the spring. Parental line WA8649041 was the most winter hardy followed by WA8649090, ILL‐1878, and ILL‐669. General combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects were significant at both locations. Heritability estimates among the 10 RIL populations ranged from 15.9 to 90.7%. Inheritance patterns of winterhardiness appeared to be quantitative on the basis of frequency distributions and the lack of discrete segregation classes. Since winter hardiness in lentil appears to be a quantitative trait, accumulation of genes responsible for winter survival will probably require stringent field testing or marker assisted selection.