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Components of Genetic Variance

The document discusses the components of genetic variation, including genetic variance, heritability, and genetic advance. It explains the types of genetic variance: additive, dominance, and epistatic, along with their features and implications for breeding. Additionally, it defines heritability in both broad and narrow senses, emphasizing its importance in plant breeding and selection processes.

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Components of Genetic Variance

The document discusses the components of genetic variation, including genetic variance, heritability, and genetic advance. It explains the types of genetic variance: additive, dominance, and epistatic, along with their features and implications for breeding. Additionally, it defines heritability in both broad and narrow senses, emphasizing its importance in plant breeding and selection processes.

Uploaded by

amitadhruva2018
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Components of Genetic Variation: Heritability and Genetic Advance

Genetic variance:- It refers to the heritable portion of total variance or phenotypic variance. It
is most useful variability and exploitable by the breeder. It is measured in terms of genotypic
variance. It consists of additive, dominance and epistatic components (G=D+H+I).

According to Fisher (1918): - It is of 3 types, such as; Additive variance, Dominance variance,
Epistatic variance.

Additive variance: - It refers to that portion of genetic variance which result due to average
effects of genes on all segregating loci. Arises from difference between two homozygotes for
a gene i.e. AA and aa. It is generally represented by ‘d’. It is due to lack of dominance.

Features: It is a measure of additive gene action. The additive gene show lack of dominance,
i.e. intermediate expression. Additive genetic variance is associated with homozygosity and
therefore, it is expected to be maximum in self-pollinating crops and minimum in cross
pollinating crops. Additive variance is fixable and therefore selection for traits governed by
such variance is very effective. Additive variance is required for estimation of heritability in
narrow sense and response to selection is directly proportionate to narrow sense heritability.
Breeding value of an individual is measured directly by the additive gene effect. The GCA
effect of a parent is a measure of additive gene effects. Transgressive segregation is the result
of additive gene action.

Dominance variance:- It is due to the deviation of heterozygote (Aa) phenotype from the
average of phenotypic values of the two homozygotes (AA and aa) it is represented by ‘h’. It
is otherwise called as Intra allelic interaction. It is due to incomplete or over-dominance.
Selection for traits controlled by dominance variance is not effective. Heterosis breeding may
be rewarding.

Features:- It is a measure of dominance gene action. Such gene show incomplete dominance,
complete dominance or over dominance. Dominance variance is associated with
heterozygosity and therefore it is expected to be maximum in cross pollinating crops and
minimum in self-pollinating species. Dominance variance is not fixable and, therefore
selection for traits controlled by such variance is not effective. Dominance variance is the chief
cause of heterosis or hybrid vigour. Dominance variance gets depleted through Selfing or
inbreeding
Epistatic variance:- It refers to the deviation from additive scheme as a consequence of inter-
allelic interaction i.e. interaction between alleles of two or more different genes or loci. It is
otherwise called as inter allelic Interaction. It is represented by ‘e’.

Features:- Epistatic variance includes both additive and non-additive components.

Hayman and Mather categorized the epistatic component into three types of interactions.

(i) Additive × Additive (AA):- it refers to interaction between two or more loci each exhibiting
lack of dominance individually. It is denoted as A× A and is fixable. It comes under additive
gene action.

(ii) Additive × Dominance (AD):- It refers to interaction between two or more loci, one
exhibiting lack of dominance and the other dominance individually. It is denoted as A× D and
is non fixable.

(iii). Dominance × Dominance (DD):- It refers to interaction of two or more loci, each
exhibiting dominance individually. It is represented as D× D and is non-fixable.

Heritability:- It is the ratio of genotypic variance to the phenotypic variance. Heritability


denotes the proportion of phenotypic variance that is due to genotype or which is heritable. It
is generally expressed in percentage (%). It is a good index of transmission of characters from
parents to their offspring. It is of two types:

1. Broad sense heritability:- According to Falconer, broad sense heritability is the ratio of
genotypic variance to total or phenotypic variance. It is calculated with the help of following
formula where, Vg= genotypic variance, Vp = phenotypic variance, Ve = error variance;

Heritability (h²) = Vg / Vp×100 = Vg / Vg + Ve × 100

Broad sense heritability also called as ‘degree of genetic determination’.

2. Narrow sense heritability: - It is the ratio of additive or fixable genetic variance to the total
or phenotypic variance. Also known as degree of genetic resemblance. It is calculated with the
help of following formula where VA or D = additive genetic variance, VP or VP = phenotypic
variance;

Heritability (h²) = VA / VP ×100 or ½ D / VP

It plays an important role in the selection process in plant breeding. For estimation of narrow
sense heritability, crosses have to be made in a definite fashion. It is estimated from additive
genetic variance. It is useful for plant breeding in selection of elite types from segregating
populations.

Genetic advance:- Improvement in the mean genotypic value of selected plants over the
parental population is known as genetic advance. It is the measure of genetic gain under
selection. The genetic advance is calculated by the following formula where, K = standardize
selection differential, h² = heritability of the character under selection, δp = phenotypic standard
deviation.

h² (ns) GS = K × h² × δp

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