Journal of
Plant Breeding and Crop Science

  • Abbreviation: J. Plant Breed. Crop Sci.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2006-9758
  • DOI: 10.5897/JPBCS
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 450

Full Length Research Paper

Gene effects and transgression in the inheritance of some agronomic traits of Citrullus mucosospermus

Brou Kouakou Fulgence
  • Brou Kouakou Fulgence
  • National Center for Agricultural Research, Bimbresso Research Station, Bimbresso, Côte d'Ivoire.
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Agnyman Angeline Eliathe Elabo
  • Agnyman Angeline Eliathe Elabo
  • National Center for Agricultural Research, Bimbresso Research Station, Bimbresso, Côte d'Ivoire.
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Kouamé Germain Cyrille Koffi
  • Kouamé Germain Cyrille Koffi
  • National Center for Agricultural Research, Bimbresso Research Station, Bimbresso, Côte d'Ivoire.
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Raoul Sylvère Sie
  • Raoul Sylvère Sie
  • Nangui Abrogoua University, Biology and Production Improvement Laboratory, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
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  •  Received: 10 May 2024
  •  Accepted: 05 August 2024
  •  Published: 30 September 2024

Abstract

Citrullus mucosospermus (Fursa) is a plant known for its high nutritional and market values. However, its cultivation remains traditional with low yields. This study was initiated to contribute to the genetic improvement of C. mucosospermus by determining key genetic parameters. To achieve this, three segregating populations were created from three crosses of C. mucosospermus. All six generations (Pa, Pb, F1, F2, BC1Pa, and BC1Pb) of each cross were grown in the same environment in peasant areas and studied based on six fruit characteristics: number of fruits per plant (NuFr), mass of fruit per plant (MaFr), diameter of fruit per plant (DiFr), mass of dry seeds per fruit (MaDs), length of seed (LeSe), and width of seed (WiSe). The results revealed significant differences among all six generations for all studied traits in the three crosses. The traits investigated exhibited moderate to high heritability, accompanied by low genetic advance. Positive degrees of transgression were observed for NuFr, MaFr, DiFr, and MaDs, indicating relatively high frequencies of transgression for these traits. Therefore, selecting superior hybrids for these traits would likely be more effective in later generations, such as F3 or F4.

Key words: Bebu, Wlêwlê, genetic advance, heritability, selection, transgression.