Relative Interactions of Seabuckthorn Characteristics and
Their Relation with Plant Survival
Privalov G.F., Solonenko L. P., and Skuridin G.M.
(Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk,
630090, Russia)
Our previous studies have shown that the coefficients of individual relative variability (IRV) may
serve as measures of the closeness of the relation of plant characteristics and survival (Privalov et al.
1996). The IRV coefficients allowed us to establish the genetic determination of morphological and
biochemical characteristics and also to detect new variability in characteristics that is not apparent
when applying absolute values (Privalov 1997).
We report here the results of our analysis of the interrelations of the following characteristics:
contents of oil, sugar, organic acids, carotenoids, mass of seeds and fruit pulp. One hundred
individual plants were analyzed in each variant. The number of surviving plants served as the major
criterion for the interaction strength of the characters.
Six types of relations and interrelations were established for the studied characteristics. They
provide evidence for the different quantitative and qualitative genetic determination of the
manifestation and expression of the characteristics in the phenotype and for their different relations
with plant survival. We have created Vavilov's data (Vavilov 1960) by the IRV method. As a result, we
have demonstrated that 12 genes of the genetic adaptive complex (GAC), of which 2 are alternative
qualitative genes, 5 are quantitative genes and superdominance genes, are involved in the control of
adaptive characters in barley. This is in agreement with the results we have obtained applying the IRV
method in seabuckthorn.
In seabuckthorn, the relative variability in the content of oil and organic acids is assigned to the first
interaction type. According to the typology suggested by Chetverikov (1983), this variability is referred
to complete pleiotropy of the characteristics. The remaining 5 interaction types are represented by
correlations in which only a part of the active genetic factors is involved and the other part is
suppressed. In this case, all the plants are subdivided into 2 groups complying with the method
Vavilov has proposed: plants with major (the most expressed, qualitative) characteristics are referred
to the first group and those expressing them weaker to the second.
Thus the results of this study have demonstrated that the IRV coefficients may serve as genetic
markers of the biological diversity of plants provided that their characters are described thoroughly
and with professional skills.
References
Privalov G. F., Solonenko L. P., Skuridin G. M. 1996. Relative variability of characters in seabuckthorn and its
influence on elimination and natural selection of plants. Genetika, vol. 32, No 6, 856-859 (in Russian).
Privalov G. F. 1997. Relative variability of the manifestation and expression of smooth awreness in different
genotype environments of hybrid barley plants. In: Current concepts of evolutionary genetics. In: Materials
of conference in commemoration of D. K. Belyaev. Novosibirsk, (in Russian).
Vavilov N. I. 1960. On the origin of smooth awned barleys. In: Selected works, vol 2, p. 409-413 (in Russian).
Chetverikov S. S. 1983. On some aspects of the evolutionary process in terms of modern genetics. In: Problems
of general biology and genetics, Novosibirsk, p. 170-226 (in Russian).
