Component analysis of plant dry matter production: A basis for selection of breeding parents as illustrated in carnation

Improvement of dry matter production in the vegetative phase is a breeding objective in many crops, especially where whole plants or parts of plants in the vegetative phase constitute the commercial product. Dry matter production is a complex process and plant dry weight, as measured at a given date, is a complex character, of which initial weight of planting material and mean relative growth rate over the period of growth are the major components. The primary objective of the present paper is to demonstrate how a method of component analysis proposed by Spamaaij and Bos can be used to facilitate breeding for a high rate of vegetative growth. The procedure is illustrated by data from a study of variation in forcing ability among 13 carnation cultivars. It involves a detailed analysis of mean relative growth rate over the period of vegetative growth, including components derived from observations on net rate of photosynthesis and dark respiration. It is shown how component analysis can be used (a) to quantify the relative contribution of initial plant weight and of mean relative growth rate and its components to the genetic variation in plant dry weight, thus allowing a judicious choice of selection criteria for breeding parents, and (b) to predict mean plant dry weight of Fl hybrids obtained by crossing these parent genotypes, thus facilitating the choice of crosses to be made.