ORIGINAL PAPER Relative efficiency of the genotypic value and combining ability effects on reciprocal recurrent selection Jose ´ Marcelo Soriano Viana • Rodrigo Oliveira DeLima • Gabriel Borges Mundim • Aurinelza Batista Teixeira Conde ´ • Aloisio Alcantara Vilarinho Received: 11 July 2012 / Accepted: 26 November 2012 / Published online: 9 December 2012 Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012 Abstract Reciprocal recurrent selection (RRS) has been successfully applied to maize breeding for more than 60 years. Our objective was to assess the relative efficiency of the genotypic value and the effects of general and spe- cific combining abilities (GCA and SCA) on selection. The GCA effect reflects the number of favorable genes in the parent. The SCA effect primarily reflects the differences in the gene frequencies between the parents. We simulated three traits, three classes of populations, and 10 cycles of half- and full-sib RRS. The RRS is a highly efficient pro- cess for intra- and interpopulation breeding, regardless of the trait or the level of divergence among the populations. The RRS increases the heterosis of the interpopulation cross when there is dominance, and it decreases the inbreeding depression in the populations and the genetic variability in the populations and in the hybrid. When there is not dominance and the populations are not divergent, the RRS also determines population differentiation. The half- sib RRS, which is equivalent to selection based on the GCA effect, is more efficient than the full-sib RRS based on the genotypic value, regardless of the trait or the level of improvement of the populations. The full-sib RRS based on the SCA effect is not efficient for intra- and interpopulation breeding. Introduction The reciprocal recurrent selection (RRS) was idealized by Comstock et al. (1949) as a breeding process of the hybrid between two populations. They proposed experimental assessment of interpopulation paternal half-sib families and S 1 progeny recombination. Their goal was to improve both the general and specific combining abilities. The RRS has been shown to improve the hybrid and to increase the heterosis of the populations, relative to maize grain yield, disease and pest resistance, resistance to root and stalking lodging and other agronomic traits (Penny and Eberhart 1971; Eberhart et al. 1973; Souza 1987; Keeratinijakal and Lamkey 1993; Santos et al. 2007). The same can be said about modifications of the RRS method (Rodriguez and Hallauer 1991; Butruille et al. 2004). The most important modified procedures were proposed by Hallauer (1967), Lonnquist and Williams (1967), Hallauer and Eberhart (1970), and Russell and Eberhart (1975). Hallauer (1967) developed a method for continually assessing inbred interpopulation full-sib families to obtain hybrids. Lonn- quist and Williams (1967) proposed evaluating interp- opulation full-sib progeny to develop sister-line or modified hybrids. Hallauer and Eberhart (1970) proposed evaluating interpopulation full-sib families with S 1 progeny recom- bination. Russell and Eberhart (1975) proposed using inbred lines from each population as testers. This procedure offered an efficient way to simultaneously improve the breeding populations and develop elite single crosses. Communicated by M. Sillanpaa. J. M. S. Viana (&)  R. O. DeLima  G. B. Mundim Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Vic ¸osa, Vic ¸osa, MG 36570-000, Brazil e-mail: jmsviana@ufv.br A. B. T. Conde ´ Centro Tecnolo ´gico Tria ˆngulo e Alto Paranaı ´ba, Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecua ´ria de Minas Gerais, Patos de Minas, MG 38700-000, Brazil A. A. Vilarinho Centro de Pesquisa Agroflorestal de Roraima, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecua ´ria, Boa Vista, RR 69301-970, Brazil 123 Theor Appl Genet (2013) 126:889–899 DOI 10.1007/s00122-012-2023-3