Genetic Dissection and Half-Sib Progeny Test for Selecting Elite Parents to Develop Drought-Tolerant Varieties of Cuminum cyminum L.

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) is an annual, outcross plant with medicinal properties. It is adapted to arid and semi-arid regions of the world. This research aimed to evaluate genetic parameters such as GCA and genetic distance based on molecular markers and important traits for parent selection among diverse genotypes of cumin. For this purpose, ISSR markers and a polycross assay were conducted. Forty-nine half-sib families were obtained from the polycross test and were evaluat ed for two years under normal and drought stress conditions. The measurements were aimed at 1000-seed weight, mechanized harvest height, and seed yield. The statistical analysis guided a selection of elite parents due to the high genetic diversity among half-sib families. An estimation of narrow sense heritability and general combining ability of the studied traits revealed the contribution of both additive and non-additive effects in genetically controlling the evaluated traits. According to the general combining ability, drought tolerance indices and genetic distance of 49 genotypes, the top 10 candidates were selected for the production of drought-tolerant seeds. From a molecular perspective, the banding patterns obtained from ISSR markers showed significant genetic diversity among all genotypes and indicated a proper distance among ten selected parents. The findings of this experiment provided a starting point for cumin breeding. It is likely that a breeding program would proceed with random pollinations among the ten select genotypes under controlled conditions to produce high-yield drought-to lerant varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]