Long-term selection for a quantitative trait in Tribolium castaneum. 1. Response to selection

Abstract

An experiment with the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum was carried out to study the longtem response La selection for pupal weight, for a period of 20 generation, Three population sizes (10,20 and 40 pairs of parents) and three proportions selected (10%, 20% Rnd 30%) were considered alongwith a control for each population size. The experiment was replicated twice. The response, in general, was maximum in lines under 10% selection, followed by 20% and 30%. The population size 40 was superior to 10 and 20. The performance of controls was stable throughout the experiment. The responses predicted using conventional approach were much higher than the observed values.