J. Torabinejad et Mm. Caldwell, Inheritance of UV-B tolerance in seven ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana L.Heynh. and their F-1 hybrids, J HEREDITY, 91(3), 2000, pp. 228-233
We used a partial diallel mating design to examine morphologic response to
supplementary ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation of seven ecotypes of Arabidops
is thaliana L. Heynh, from several geographic locations in Europe. We were
particularly interested in the inheritance of UV-B tolerance by the F-1 gen
eration. Morphologic traits included plant height, rosette diameter, number
of shoots (lateral branches from the rosette) and branches (lateral branch
es above the rosette), and reproductive and vegetative dry mass. To effect
a large difference in UV treatments, plants under treatment received 11 kJ/
m(2)/day of biologically effective UV-B radiation while control plants rece
ived no UV-B radiation. Genotype effects were observed for all traits (P <
.0001), but a significant treatment effect and genotype x treatment interac
tions were detected only for plant height (P = .0001), rosette diameter (P
= .0229), and vegetative (P = .0260) and reproductive dry mass (P = .0900),
General combining ability was significant for plant height (P < .0001) and
vegetative mass (P = .0563), whereas specific combining ability was signif
icant for rosette diameter (P = .0220) and vegetative mass (P = .0506), The
se results suggest that both pure lines and hybrids of Arabidopsis can be d
eveloped for greater tolerance of UV-B radiation. Similar findings for crop
species might lead to the development of UV tolerant varieties.