Genetic analysis of means and variances of aluminum tolerance in maize

Abstract

In acid soils, aluminum constraints productivity of nonadapted plants. Aluminum most evident phytotoxic effect is the decrease in root growth. Joint use of liming and tolerant genotypes would make good use of acid soils. However, there are conflicting results from studies on tolerance inheritance in maize (Zea mays L.). The aim of this research was to estimate genetic parameters of tolerance in a family of tolerant and nontolerant inbred lines and their derived generations F₁ and F₂ and backcrosses. Net length of seminal roots of seedlings, developed in a nutrient solution with 4.5 mg/L aluminum, was analyzed. Additive and dominant standard proved sufficient and showed the additive gene effect as the chief generating factor of variability. Narrow-sense heritability was close to one and the number of loci was estimated as between two and three. Quick gains in selection cycles may be foreseen for net length of seminal roots