Metrical Characters in Parallel-grown Subpopulations of Barley Composite Cross Five

Abstract

Subpopulations derived from Composite Cross Five (CCV) were grown in parallel for six generations. Comparisons of an early and a late generation for two populations were made in the glasshouse and the field for four quantitative characters using random samples of individuals from retained bulk material and inbred lines. Considerable genetic change was detected. The populations moved towards later flowering, taller, higher-yielding plants with a marked loss of individuals that exhibited erect early growth habit. The genetic control of flowering time in the glasshouse included a major locus whose effect in the field was greatly reduced. The alternative explanations of hitch-hiking and multilocus selection were not fully resolved.