HERITABILITY ESTIMATION IN EARLY GENERATIONS OF TWO-WAY CROSSES IN SOYBEAN(1)

The estimation of genetic parameters, especially in early generations, is very useful for directing the selection process in breeding programs. The present research was undertaken to estimate heritabilities in the broad sense, narrow sense and using parent-offspring regression in F3 soybean populations from six two-way crosses, originated from the Soybean Breeding Program of Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (UNESP), Jaboticabal campus. It was used the family design with common checks located ten plots apart. It was observed highly significant differences among families. The experimental coefficient of variation (CVe), the CVg/CVe ratio and the heritability showed wide variation among traits, being the highest values found for number of pods, number of seeds and grain yield, making evident the existence of variance to be exploited by breeding. The estimation of the heritability coefficients in the broad sense, narrow sense and by regression were close in most of the situations, showing that the largest part of genetic variance is of additive nature, in which simple selection methods can lead to satisfactory genetic gains