Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding (The)

Branched ear wheat material was subjected to three successive cycles of selections. This resulted in more stable and better expression of ear branching.

Inheritance studies on ear branching in four Tetraploid × Tetraploid crosses and one Hexaploid × Hexaploid cross indicated involvement of two recessive genes causing ear branching and two dominant inhibitory genes suppressing branching as in HD 4501 × 1(52) or two recessive genes causing ear branching and 1 domianant inhibitory gene suppressing branching as in HD 4002 × 1(28), HD 4500 × 1((9), HD 4500 × 1 (124) and Kalyan Sona × 1(132). In two Hexaploid × Tetraploid crosses though the observed frequencies fit expected 15 N. Br. 1 Br ratio, it would be misleading to attempt to workout the number of loci involved since there will be variation in chromosome number in F₂ population.

Grain colour and 1,000 grain weight were inherited independently of ear branching.

Screening of F₂ population from 18 crosses between branched ear and non-branched ear types indicated that ear branching is rather a simple character which can be easily incorporated in normal wheat through hybridization. Several interesting segregates including early branched types, amber grained branched ear types, plants with extra flag leaf, plants with extra long ears, multifloret ear type plants and vavilovoid type of plants were obtained. In some of the crosses there was very wide segregation with transgressive variation in several characters.