Question

In a given plant population, a study was undertaken to determine the average number of seeds per plant. Different variances were calculated and are shown in this table.

VP - 20.2
VE - 7.80
VA - 3.22

a) Calculate the broad sense heritability.

b) Calculate the narrow sense heritability.

Answer 1

The broad sense heritability is 64.7% and the narrow sense heritability is 10.3% in the given plant population.

Step-by-step explanation:

The broad sense heritability is calculated using the formula H^2 = VP/VT, where VP is the variance due to genetic differences and VT is the total variance. In this case, VP is 20.2 and VT is the sum of VP, VE (variance due to environmental differences), and VA (variance due to additive genetic effects), which is 20.2 + 7.80 + 3.22 = 31.22. Therefore, the broad sense heritability is 20.2/31.22 = 0.647 or 64.7%.

The narrow sense heritability is calculated using the formula h^2 = VA/VT, where VA is the variance due to additive genetic effects. In this case, VA is 3.22 and VT is 31.22. Therefore, the narrow sense heritability is 3.22/31.22 = 0.103 or 10.3%.