The challenge of finding high grain yield and pre-harvest sprouting tolerant genotypes in Brazilian wheat germplasm

Pre-harvest sprouting (PHS) harms the quality of wheat by converting starch into sugar and decreasing the flour quality. Therefore, improving wheat genotypes for PHS is critical for Brazilian wheat breeding programs. The goals of this study were to evaluate the combining ability and heterosis of Brazilian wheat genotypes, aiming to increase genetic gains and to identify promising combinations capable of generating superior genotypes for grain yield and pre-harvest sprouting tolerance. The work was conducted in 2011 in Capao do Leao, RS, Brazil, under an experimental design of randomized blocks with three repetitions. The traits of eight parents and 56 wheat hybrids linked to pre-harvest sprouting and grain yield were evaluated. The presence of additive and nonadditive gene effects and maternal effects controlling pre-harvest sprouting tolerance in Brazilian wheats were observed in some combinations. The cultivars BRS 194, Frontana and Quartzo when used as parents contributed with additive and non-additive gene effects for pre-harvest sprouting tolerance in wheat. The parental Quartzo contributes with genes of additive and non-additive effects in the increase of grain yield. Combinations which include BRS 194, Frontana and Quartzo show effective ability of recovering high yield genotypes with pre-harvest sprouting tolerance.