maize hybrids under stress and irrgated conditons

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Author: karthick.V, Dr. C. Balan

ABSTRACT DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY MATURING SINGLE CROSS HYBRIDS IN MAIZE (Zea mays L.) SUITABLE FOR BOTH IRRIGATED AND INDUCED MOISTURE STRESS CONDITIONS By KARTHICK.V

DEGREE : MASTER OF SCIENCE (AGRICULTURE) IN PLANT BREEDING AND GENETICS

CHAIRMAN : Dr. A. BALAN, Ph.D., Professor Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics Agricultural College and Research Institute Madurai 625 104. Tamil Nadu India

During the Year 2007. An investigation was undertaken in Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, at Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai, Tamil Nadu during 2006-2007 to identify potential parents, superior cross combinations and to formulate breeding strategies for yield improvement in maize under both irrigated and induced moisture stress conditions.

The material for the study comprised of six lines (UMI 399 (L1), UMI 497 (L2), UMI 615 (L3), UMI 645 (L4), UMI 757 (L5) and UMI 785 (L6)) and four testers UMI 61 (T1), UMI 112 (T2), UMI 285 (T3) and CO 1 (T4) of maize. These parents were crossed in a line x tester mating design to synthesize twenty four hybrids. These hybrids along with their ten parents were evaluated for ten traits under irrigated condition and seventeen traits under induced moisture stress condition.

The higher magnitude of SCA variance over GCA variance indicated the predominance of non-additive gene action for all the traits under study. Based on per se and gca effects under irrigated condition the parents L1, L2, L4, L5, T2, T3 had desirable per se and gca effects, whereas the per se and gca effects under induced stress condition the parents L1, L3, L4, L5, T4 had desirable per se and gca effects. On the basis of per se, sca and standard heterosis under irrigated condition six hybrids and in induced moisture stress condition also six hybrids were selected for heterosis breeding for improvement of different traits. Based on non significant sca effect with favourable gca effects eleven hybrids were selected for different traits under irrigated condition, whereas in induced moisture stress condition only four hybrids were selected for recombination breeding.

Correlation studies showed that grain yield having positive association with plant height, cob weight, number of kernels per row and harvest index, whereas in induced moisture stress condition the grain yield had positive correlation with cob weight, cob length, 100 grain weight, number of kernels per row, harvest index. In both conditions two hybrids L3 × T4 (UMI 615 × CO1 ), L5 × T1 (UMI 757 × UMI 61) recorded positively significant values for grain yield per plant and considered as the best hybrids for both conditions. Path analysis revealed that, cob weight was the principal component character responsible for increasing grain yield in maize under both irrigated and induced moisture stress conditions.