Combining Ability and Gene Action Controlling Chocolate Spot Resistance and Yield Traits in Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.)

Abstract

Chocolate spot disease devastatingly impacts faba bean growth and productivity. Thenceforth, genetic study of chocolate spot resistance and yield traits is crucial to conceive appropriate strategies for breeding and sustaining faba bean production particularly under abrupt climate change and a fast-growing global population. The current study was performed to identify promising resistant and high-yielding progenies, to study the mode of inheritance for chocolate spot resistance and yield traits using half-diallel mating design, and to investigate the association between seed yield and its attributes traits under conditions of chocolate spot disease. Two resistant (Nubaria-1 and Sakha-1) and two susceptible (Tribe-White and Camolina) parents previously characterized were used to generate six F1 hybrids which were selfed to produce F2 progenies. The parents and their F1 and F2 were evaluated at hot-spot location for chocolate spot disease. Significant variation was detected for chocolate spot resistance and yield traits among the evaluated parents and their cross combinations in both generations. The general (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining ability effects were highly significant for chocolate spot severity and yield traits in both generations. From the results, it is noteworthy that the cross combinations of P1(Nubaria-1)×P2(Sakha-1), P1×P4(Camolina) and P2×P3(Tribe-white) displayed the highest seed yield per plant in the F1 generation (155.66, 199.96, and 147.96 g respectively) as well as the F2 generation (172.36, 123.06, and 119.80 g respectively) simultaneously with high resistance to chocolate spot. Consequently, these crosses could be promising combinations for increasing seed yield, and resistance to chocolate spot in breeding programs of faba bean. The additive gene effect was predominant for chocolate spot resistance, plant height, days to flowering, number of branches per plant and 100-seed weight in both generations. Accordingly, selection could be effective to improve these traits in early generations. By contrast, the non-additive gene effects were preponderant for seed yield per plant, number of seeds per plant and number of pods per plant. This suggests the importance of transgressive segregation for improving these traits through breeding programs. While selection for improving these traits could be less effective in the segregated generations which should be postponed to advanced generations. A strong positive association was identified between seed yield per plant and each of number of branches per plant, 100-seed weight, plant height, days to flowering, number of pods per plant and number of seeds per plant. This signifies their significance as vital attributes for indirect selection, especially in the early generations due to their ease of evaluation in comparison with seed yield. On the contrary, linear regression analysis revealed a steeply inverse relationship between seed yield and chocolate spot disease in both generations.

Keywords

• Vicia faba
• chocolate spot
• heterosis
• heritability
• cluster analysis
• principal components
• linear regression

References

1. Abdel-Sattar, A.S, and El-Mouhamady, A.A., 2012. Genetic analysis and molecular markers for yield and its components traits in faba bean (Vicia Faba L.). Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 6(7), 458-466.
2. Abo-Hegazy, S.R.E., El-Badawy, N.F., Mazen, M.M. and El-Menem, H.A., 2012. Evaluation of some faba bean genotypes against chocolate spot disease using cDNA fragments of chitinase gene and some traditional methods. Asian Journal of Agricultural Research, 6(2), 60-72.
3. Abo-Mostafa, R.A.I., Ghareeb, Z.E., Abbas, M.A.E., Zeid, G.G.A.A. and Sarhan, E.A.D., 2014. Combined and genetic analysis for multiple-disease resistance to chocolate spot and rust on faba bean yield. International Journal of Plant Breeding and Genetics, 8(4), 181-193.
4. Alan, O. and Geren, H., 2007. Evaluation of heritability and correlation for seed yield and yield components in faba bean (Vicia faba L.). Journal of Agronomy, 6(3), 1-4.
5. Alghamdi, S.S., 2009. Heterosis and combining ability in a diallel cross of eight faba bean (Vicia faba L.) genotypes. Asian Journal of Crop Science, 1(2), 66-76.
6. Bernier, C.C., Hanounik, S.B., Hussein, M.M. and Mohamed, H.A., 1993. Field Manual of Common Faba Bean Diseases in the Nile Valley. Aleppo: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Information Bulletin 3.
7. Beyene, A.T., Derera, J. and Sibiya, J., 2018. Genetic variability of faba bean genotypes for chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae) resistance and yield. Euphytica, 214(8), 1-17.
8. Beyene, A.T., Derera, J., Sibiya, J. and Fikre, A., 2016. Gene action determining grain yield and chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae) resistance in faba bean. Euphytica, 207(2), 293-304.

9. Borghi, B. and Perenzin, M., 1994. Diallel analysis to predict heterosis and combining ability for grain yield, yield components and bread-making quality in bread wheat (T. aestivum). Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 89(7-8), 975-981.
10. El-Abssi, M.G., Rabie, H.A., Awaad, H.A. and Qabi, N., 2019. Combining ability of earliness, yield, quality and chocolate spot disease for faba bean. Bioscience Research, 16(4), 3584-3594.
11. El-Hosary, A.A., 2020. Estimation of gene action and heterosis in F1 and F2 diallel crosses among seven genotypes of field bean. Journal of Plant Production, 11(12), 1383-1391.
12. Elshafei, A.A.M., Amer, M.A.E., Elenany, M.A.M. and Helal, A.G.A.E., 2019. Evaluation of the genetic variability of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) genotypes using agronomic traits and molecular markers. Bulletin of the National Research Centre, 43(1), 1-10.
13. Farag, H.I.A. and Afiah, S.A., 2012. Analysis of gene action in diallel crosses among some faba bean (Vicia faba L.) genotypes under Maryout conditions. Annals of Agricultural Sciences, 57(1), 37-46.
14. Ghareeb, Z.E. and Helal, A.G., 2014. Diallel analysis and separation of genetic variance components in eight faba bean genotypes. Annals of Agricultural Sciences, 59(1), 147-154.
15. Gorfu, D. and Hiskias, Y., 2001. Yield losses of crops due to plant diseases in Ethiopia. Pest Management Journal of Ethiopia. 5:55-67.
16. Griffing, B., 1956. Concept of general and specific combining ability in relation to diallel crossing systems. Australian Journal of Biological Sciences, 9(4), 463-493.
17. Haile, M., Adugna, G. and Lemessa, F., 2016. Reactions of improved faba bean varieties to chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae Sard.) epidemics across contrasting altitudes in southwest Ethiopia. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 11(10), 837-848.
18. Hayman, B., 1954. The analysis of variance of diallel tables. Biometrics, 10(2), 235-244.
19. Kamara, M.M., Ghazy, N.A., Mansour, E., Elsharkawy, M.M., Kheir, A. and Ibrahim, K.M., 2021. Molecular genetic diversity and line× tester analysis for resistance to late wilt disease and grain yield in maize. Agronomy, 11(5), Article 898.
20. Karkanis, A., Ntatsi, G., Lepse, L., Fernández, J.A., Vågen, I.M., Rewald, B., Alsiņa, I., Kronberga, A., Balliu, A., Olle, M. and Bodner, G., 2018. Faba bean cultivation-revealing novel managing practices for more sustainable and competitive European cropping systems. Frontiers in plant science, 9, 1115.
21. Kaur, S., Reid, P., Harker, K.N., Meers, S., Thomas, J., Chatterton, S. and Cárcamo, H., 2018. Effect of Lygus s and Botrytis s on faba bean (Vicia faba L.) seed quality-are there insect–pathogen interactions?. Canadian Journal of Plant Science, 99(1), 56-66.
22. Kora, D., Hussein, T. and Ahmed, S., 2017. Management of chocolate spot (Botrytis fabae L.) on faba bean in Bale Highlands, Ethiopia. Journal of Plant Sciences, 5(4), 120-129.
23. Lee, R.C., Farfan-Caceres, L.M., Debler, J.W. and Syme, R.A., 2020. Characterization of growth morphology and pathology, and draft genome sequencing of botrytis fabae, the causal organism of chocolate spot of faba bean (Vicia faba L.). Frontiers in Microbiology, 11, Article 217.
24. Mansour, E., Desoky, E.S.M., Ali, M.M., Abdul-Hamid, M.I., Ullah, H., Attia, A. and Datta, A., 2021. Identifying drought-tolerant genotypes of faba bean and their agro-physiological responses to different water regimes in an arid Mediterranean environment. Agricultural Water Management, 247, 1Article 06754.
25. Mather, K. and Jinks, J.L., 1971. Components of Means: Additive and Dominance Effects. In Biometrical Genetics. Springer, Boston, pp. 65-82.
26. Noorka, I.R. and El-Bramawy, M.A.S., 2011. Inheritance assessment of chocolate spot and rust disease tolerance in mature faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plants. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 43(2), 1389-1402.
27. Obiadalla-Ali, H.A., Mohamed, N.E., Glala, A.A. and Eldekashy, M.H., 2013. Heterosis and nature of gene action for yield and its components in faba bean (Vicia faba L.). Journal of Plant Breeding and Crop Science, 5(3), 34-40.
28. Rhaïem, A., Cherif, M., Harrabi, M., Cherif, M. and Kharrat, M., 2002. New faba bean genotypes resistant to chocolate spot caused by Botrytis fabae. Phytopathologia Mediterranea, 41, 99-108.
29. Sahar, A., El-Shennawy, R.Z. and Ismail, A.I., 2011. Fungicidal management of chocolate spot of faba bean and assessment of yield losses due to the disease. Annals of Agricultural Sciences, 56(1), 27-35.
30. Sharifi, P., 2014. Correlation and path coefficient analysis of yield and yield component in some of broad bean (Vicia faba L.) genotypes. Genetika, 46(3), 905-914.
31. Shi, J., Li, R., Qiu, D., Jiang, C., Long, Y., Morgan, C., Bancroft, I., Zhao, J. and Meng, J., 2009. Unraveling the complex trait of crop yield with quantitative trait loci mapping in Brassica napus. Genetics, 182(3), 851-861.
32. Tekalign, A., Sibiya, J. and Derera, J., 2017. Heterosis and path analysis for grain yield and chocolate spot disease resistance in faba bean (Vicia faba L.). Australian Journal of Crop Science, 11(10), 1244- 1253.
33. Tolessa, T.T., Keneni, G. and Mohammad, H., 2015. Genetic progresses from over three decades of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) breeding in Ethiopia. Australian Journal of Crop Science, 9(1), 41-48.
34. van Berkum, P., Beyene, D., Vera, F.T. and Keyser, H.H., 1995. Variability among Rhizobium strains originating from nodules of Vicia faba. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 61(7), 2649.
35. Youseif, S.H., El-Megeed, A., Fayrouz, H. and Saleh, S.A., 2017. Improvement of faba bean yield using Rhizobium/Agrobacterium inoculant in low-fertility sandy soil. Agronomy, 7(1), Article 2.
36. Zohry, A.E.H. and Ouda, S.A., 2017. Solution for Faba Bean Production-Consumption Gap. In Future of Food Gaps in Egypt. Springer, Cham. pp. 75-90.