THEORETICAL COMPARISON BETWEEN PEDIGRI SELECTION METHODS AND MASSIVE F3 FAMILIES IN AUTOGAMOUS PLANTS

Abstract

A comparison is made between the responses to inter- and intrafamilial selection in pedigree and massive F₃ family breeding methods in self-pollinated plants without prior selection. For interfamilial selection, the pedigree method is superior to that of massive F₃ families due to the greater amount of additive genetic variance between families in the former, while in the latter such variance remains constant until the generation of line derivation. On the other hand, in intrafamilial selection, the F₃ massive family method is superior to that of pedigree because the genotypic variance is greater in the former since there is no selection until the derivation of lines. The practical implications of both methods are also discussed, especially as far as family performance testing is concerned.