Recurrent selection as breeding strategy for heat tolerance in wheat
Juarez Campolina Machado, Moacil Alves de Souza, Davi Melo de Oliveira, Adeliano Cargnin, Aderico Júnior Badaró Pimentel, and Josiane Cristina de Assis
The development of heat-tolerant varieties is an important goal of wheat breeding programs, requiring efficient selection methods. In the present study the use of recurrent selection was evaluated as a strategy to improve heat stress tolerance in wheat. Two cycles of recurrent selection were performed in experiments conducted in research areas of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa, located in Coimbra-MG and Viçosa-MG, in 2004 and 2007, in two growing seasons (summer and winter). The genetic gain and the existence of variability show the possibility of successful recurrent selection for heat tolerance in wheat.