Generation of Favourable Associations Through Biparental Matings in Oats

Association pattern has been studied in biparental matings (NC I, NC II and triple testcross) and F₂ generation of a divergent cross of forage oats. Leaf number, tiller number, green leaf weight, dry leaf weight, green stem weight, and dry stem weight had strong positive association with each other and all these traits were positively correlated with both green fodder and dry matter yields in all the populations investigated. Protein content and digestibility (IVDMD) did not show any relationship with yield and its components except in triple testcross, where positive associations of leaf number and green leaf weight with both the quality traits are of interest to oat breeders. The magnitude as well as direction of correlations changed in the biparental progenies. The antagonistic interrelationships of days to flower with height, green stem weight, dry stem weight, green fodder yield, and dry matter yield in F₂ generation were not observed in the populations of three mating designs presumably due to the breakage of undesirable linkage.