Dissecting the inheritance pattern of anemone type and the relevant floral traits of chrysanthemum in multiple segregating F1 populations

Abstract Anemone type, featuring prominent and colored in tubular florets, is an attractive flower shape in chrysanthemums and thus desired by breeders and consumers. Understanding the genetic basis of anemone-type flowers in chrysanthemum is crucial for breeding success. The current study conducted nine cross combinations from seven parents to investigate segregation patterns, parental effect, and the relationships between the heterosis of six tubular floral traits and parental genetic distance. The results showed significant (P < 0.05) differences between the parents and crosses in various tubular floral traits, and transgressive segregation was observed in both directions for most traits. The considerable variation was revealed for almost floral traits, thus indicating the substantial potential for selecting lines with the desirable traits. The segregation ratio of anemone to nonanemone followed 3:1 in anemone × anemone crosses and 1:3 in either nonanemone × anemone or anemone × nonanemone crosses, except for two reciprocal crosses derived from the parents ‘Nannong Xuefeng’ and ‘QX096’. The F1 hybrids’ performance was more inclined towards a vulnerable parent and involved less influence of maternal or paternal effects, displaying some extended declines and negative mid-parent heterosis (MPH). The phenotypic genetic distance was significantly negatively correlated with MPH for floral traits except for style length and disk flower diameter. In contrast, we observed no significant correlation between molecular marker-based genetic distance and MPH for all floral characteristics. The findings of the current work provide insights into the complex inheritance pattern of flower shapes and help achieve desirable improvement in anemone-type chrysanthemums.