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Materials and methods

Four sets of F6: F9 near-isogenic lines (NILs) were developed from Chugoku 81/5* Nugaines. The sets represented three semidwarf genotypes (Rht1 Rht1 Rht2 Rht2, Rht1 Rht1 rht2 rht2, rht1 rht1 Rht2 Rht2) and the nonsemidwarf genotype (rht1 rht1 rht2 rht2). Sets comprised 3 to 10 lines each. The genotype of Nugaines is rht1 rht1 Rht2 Rht2 and the genotype of Chugoku 81 must be Rht1 Rht1 rht2 rht2 because progeny with nonsemidwarf and two-gene semidwarf phenotypes were obtained from this population. Seed of Chugoku. 81 was obtained from Byung Hee Hong, Korea University, Seoul, Korea. Chugoku 81 is an early maturing selection having facultative growth habit developed at the Chugoku. National Agricultural Experiment Station, Fukuyama, Japan (Takashi Nagamine, personal communication).

The genotypes of NILs having plant heights similar to Chugoku 81 and Nugaines were determined by test crossing to Nugaines (Rht2 tester) and Stephens (Rht1 tester). The lines were tested in 7 replicated trials at 3 eastern Washington locations during 1991 to 1993. Individual plots were 2.97m2. Locations represented irrigated, summer fallow and annual crop management systems.

Agronormic data were obtained for the tine traits shown in Table 1. Analyses of variance were performed for each trait and trial. Combined analyses across trials were also performed and these statistics are given in Table 1.


Results and discussion

Means and ranges of nine agronomic traits for NILs representing the four plant height genotypes appear in Table 1. Except for spike number, significant (P =< 0.05 ) mean trait differences occurred among the plant height genotypes.

Comparisons between the Rht1 (Rht1 Rht1 rht2 rht2) and Rht2 (rht1 rht1 Rht2 Rht2) NILs were of main interest. The Rht1 NILs had higher overall mean grain yields, kernel weights, and plant heights than Rht2 NILs while the Rht2 NILs had heavier test weights than Rht1 NILs (Table 1). An earlier study (Allan 1989) found no differences in grain yield or kernel weight between Rht1 and Rht2 NILs, while NILs with Rht1 had heavier test weights than Rht2 sibs in some populations. The current and earlier study showed the Rht1 NILs were slightly taller than their Rht2 sibs. The grain yield advantage of the Rht1 and Rht2 genes in the Nugaines genetic background was generally greater than that obtained when these genes were. transferred into genetic backgrounds of nonsemidwarf wheat varieties. In the Nugaines genetic background Rht1 and Rht2 NILs yielded 36 and 28%, respectively, greater than their nonsemidwarf rht1 rht1 rht2 rht2 sibs while in three nonsemidwarf genetic backgrounds the yield increases associated with Rht1 and Rht2 averaged only 16% greater than their rht1 rht2 sibs (Allan 1989).

Yield component differences between Nugaines Rht1 NILs vs rht1 rht2 NILs were similar to results obtained in the earlier study. In both studies the Rht1 gene was associated with reduced test weight and kernel weight but increased kernels/spike; it was neutral for spike number. In the case of Rht2 vs rht1 rht2 NILs, the two studies differed. Unlike the earlier study, with Nugaines, the Rht2 gene was neutral for test weight, kernels per spike and spike number. In the earlier study, the Rht2 gene was associated with enhanced spike number and kernels/spike but with reduced test weights among all nonsemidwarf genetic backgrounds.

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