Assessment of phenotypic developmental traits and hybrid vigour in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

The Don-0 and Col-0 ecotypes of <em>Arabidopsis thaliana </em>showed significant phenotypic diversity for several quantitative traits. The phenotypic data taken on hybrid derived from Col-0 x Don-0 and parental lines provides the information of their continuous developmental pattern throughout the life cycle. The developmental data exhibits heterosis for most of the traits (specifically biomass related traits) due to supplementary genetic contributions of both parents. Consequently, the hybrid was found to be more vigorous in comparison to both the parents in terms of all the traits except yield trait. Moreover, higher and lower performance of hybrid causes due to constructive (hybrid vigor) and deleterious epistatic interactions of loci (necrosis: hybrid incompatibility), respectively. The present study also concluded that Don-0 is a slow growing, delayed flowering and high biomass containing ecotype. The shoot and root biomass at initial stage was found to be less in Don-0 than the Col-0 but high at maturity. The present investigation provides the preliminary information which could be utilized for future genetic studies to understand the heterotic phenomenon in <em>Arabidospsis</em>.