VARIATION OF EMBRYO WEIGHT IN BREEDING ACCESSIONS OF CARROT

The  study  was  carried  out  at  All-Russian  Research Institute  of  Vegetable Growing  (GNU VNIIO) in  2013-2016.  The objects  of  the  study  were  seeds of  carrot taken from  variety ‘Rogneda’  regarded  as a standard, breeding lines 690V, 690P and 753. The aim of the work was to study the dry weight of carrot-embryos and calculate the main characteristics regarding their variability among different accessions that were obtained through both inbreeding and outbreeding methods. Mean values of the sample for seed embryo weight  differed  among different  carrot  accessions  and  breeding  lines  in  the range from 36.8 μg to 17.0 μg in ‘Rogneda’ and line 753, respectively. Moreover, there is no strong derivation of mean value from median within each sample of the breeding  line  was  observed.  The  derivation  of  mean value from median was 0.2 μg in ‘Rogneda’. The least embryo weight 14.0 μg was observed in breeding lines. The coefficient of variation for embryo weight varied in the  range  from  10.4  to  14.2  and  reached  25.1  %  in ‘Rogneda’. The method of maximum likelihood was used to  reveal correspondences  of  experimental function  of distribution in embryo weight in seed population of accessions studied  and  normal  distribution.  Statistical high-order moments (asymmetry and excess) of sample in  carrot  had  insignificant  shift.  The highest  values of asymmetry and excess were observed for selected measurements of embryo weight in breeding line 690V. The experimental data observed may lead to  previous conclusions about significant difference among four carrot  accessions in  embryo  weight  and  its  character  of variability. Thus, such a main morphological element-the embryo-in  the seed is also very probably subjected  to the strong inbreeding depression. Morphometrical parameter of embryo weight may be interesting not only for seed production and seed study, but also for breeding program, and regarded as an inherited trait that can be improved.