Inheritance process for beta-glucan content in oat caryopsis

Due to the fact that there are only few studies concerning beta-glucans in oat caryopsis with regard to plant-breeding aspects, three oat crosses were performed (cross 19 = low x high, cross 86 = low x low, cross 98 = high x high). In all of the three oat crosses, lower beta-glucan content (% DM) was recorded in F-2 than in F-3, indicating that the beta-glucan content (% DM) at a higher heterozygoty grade is lower than at a reduced heterozygoty grade. This points to a dominant inheritance of lower beta-glucan content (% DM). A tendency towards the female beta-glucan content (% DM) could not be proven. Thus, it can be started from a nuclear genetic inheritance of the beta-glucan content (% DM). In most cases, the experiments showed a normal distribution of beta-glucan content (% DM), indicating for several genes a quantitative inheritance of beta-glucan content (% DM). By means of the regression of the F-3-lines to the F-2-plants, the narrow-sense heritability could be calculated for the cross 86 (h(2) = 0.51***) and the cross 98 (h(2) = 0.48***). The heritability for the cross 19 was not significant.