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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2026)

Dissecting gene action in rice (Oryza sativa L.) using generation mean analysis across multiple crosses

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.14698
Submitted
25 March 2026
Published
03-06-2026 — Updated on 10-06-2026
Versions

Abstract

The study aimed to estimate gene action governing yield and its components in rice using generation mean analysis (GMA) across multiple crosses. Understanding the genetic basis of important agronomic traits is crucial for developing high-yielding and stable rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties. This study employed five parameter model of GMA to assess the nature and extent of gene actions specifically additive, dominance and epistatic effects on grain yield and other key traits across 12 diverse rice crosses. Five generations (P1, P2, F1, F2 and F3) were developed and evaluated over multiple growing seasons to encompass the full spectrum of genetic interactions. The results showed significant scaling tests in most crosses, indicating that digenic epistatic models were necessary for trait inheritance. Additive gene effects were prominent for traits like plant height (PH), panicle length (PL) and flag leaf length (FLL), suggesting that these traits can be improved through straightforward selection methods. In contrast, traits such as the number of productive tillers (NPT), 100-seed weight (SW) and grain yield per plant (GYP) were largely influenced by dominance and duplicate epistasis, highlighting the importance of heterosis breeding. Additionally, complementary epistasis was observed in certain traits across selected crosses, underscoring the role of specific gene interactions. These findings provide valuable insights into the gene actions specific to each trait and offer a roadmap for developing targeted breeding strategies in rice.

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