Genetic and yield analysis of F1 and F2 populations of improved soybean varieties

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the General Combining Ability (GCA) and Specific Combining Ability (SCA) of soybean germplasm adapted to tropical regions. Ten soybean crosses from six tropical-adapted varieties were performed which revealed substantial genetic variability in seven agronomic traits. Genetic variance, heritability, and correlations for growth and yield-related traits were evaluated. In the F1 generation, high genetic variance was observed for plant height (PH) and number of pods per plant (NPPP), whereas broad-sense heritability was highest for PH (0.82) and 50-seed weight (50SW; 0.72). Number of seeds per plant (NSPP) was strongly influenced by environmental effects. Genetic correlations identified key yield predictors, especially between NPPP and NSPP (r = 0.93), and positive associations of PH with yield components. In F2, Semsa-107 and Huasteca-100 showed superior performance, while Cedrela × Semsa-107 and Cedrela × Huasteca-100 were the best hybrids. Combining ability analysis indicated additive effects in Cedrela, NK-12, and Semsa-107.