SELECTION MECHANISMS APPLIED TO THE KERNE L SIZE IN WHEAT SEGREGANT POPULATIONS

During 1990 and 1991 an experiment was conducted at the Agronomical Ex perimental Statio/UFRGS, Eldorado do Sul (RS), with the aim of determi ning the efficiency of six selection mechanisms applied on the kernel size, as their indirect effects on other important agronomic traits, i n five wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) segregant populations. The results showed that the genetic progress on the kernel size has been relative ly easy and directly conditioned to genetic variability in these popul ations. On the other hand, this character has not been adequate to the indirect selection of other important traits, indicating that indirec t. artificial selection based only in this character, analized only af ter the harvest, is not a proper system to be used in improvement prog rams to get genetical progress in wheat segregant populations.