Genetic analysis of seed-related traits in smooth bromegrass ( Bromus inermis) under well-watered and water-stressed conditions.

In forage grasses, knowledge about the genetic basis of seed production and its association with related traits under water stress is very limited. Half-sib families derived from the polycross of twenty five smooth bromegrass genotypes were evaluated in the field in well-watered and water-stressed environments during 2012 and 2013. Results showed that drought stress had a negative effect on seed yield and reduced phenotypic variation for seed yield and agro-morphological traits. High genotypic variation was observed among families for seed yield and its components. Narrow-sense heritabilities (h²) ranged from 0·22 (flag leaf weight) to 0·81 (days to anthesis). These moderate-to-high heritability estimates for seed yield and its components indicate that phenotypic selection can be successful to achieve genetic progress for these traits. Seed yield had a positive correlation with 1000-seed weight, number of ears per plant, number of seeds per panicle, seed weight per panicle and panicle length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]