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ABSTRACT. Drought tolerance is one of the most important but complex traits of crops. We looked for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that affect drought tolerance in maize. Two maize inbreds and their advanced lines were evaluated for drought-related traits. A genetic linkage map developed using RFLP markers was used to identify QTLs associated with drought-related traits. Twenty-two QTLs were detected, with a minimum of one and a maximum of nine for drought-related traits. A single-QTL was detected for sugar concentration accounting for about 52.2% of the phenotypic variation on chromosome 6. A single-QTL was also identified for each of the traits root density, root dry weight, total biomass, relative water content, and leaf abscisic acid content, on chromosomes 1 and 7, contributing to 24, 0.2, 0.4, 7, and 19% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. Three QTLs were identified for grain yield on chromosomes 1, 5, and 9, explaining 75% of the observed phenotypic variability, whereas four QTLs were detected for osmotic potential on chromosomes 1, 3, and 9, together accounting for 50% of the phenotypic variance. Nine QTLs were detected for leaf surface area on chromosomes 3 and 9, with various degrees of phenotypic variance, ranging from 25.8 to 42.2%. Four major clusters of QTLs were identified on chromosomes 1, 3, 7, and 9. A QTL for yield on chromosome 1 was found co-locating with the QTLs for root traits, total biomass, and osmotic potential in a region of about 15 cM. A cluster of QTLs for leaf surface area were coincident with a QTL for osmotic potential on chromosome 3. The QTLs for leaf area also clustered on chromosome 9, whereas QTLs for leaf abscisic acid content and relative water content coincided on chromosome 7, 10 cM apart. Co-location of QTLs for different traits indicates potential pleiotropism or tight linkage, which may be useful for indirect selection in maize improvement for drought tolerance.

The inbred maize lines Polj 17 and F-2 have previously been shown to differ by up to three-fold in leaf abscisic acid (ABA) concentration in the field. Lines from the cross Poljl7 x F-2 differing in leaf ABA concentrations, and the parents, were studied in the field to characterize the differences amongst the lines in ABA concentrations during the season, during the day and in different parts of the plants. The water status of the plants was measured and leaves were heat girdled to get information on possible causes for the genetic variation amongst the lines in ABA concentration.Leaf ABA concentrations of the high-ABA lines increased markedly and consistently from flowering time onwards, whereas leaf ABA concentrations of the low-ABA lines gradually fell after flowering. Leaf water potentials of high-ABA and low-ABA lines were similar during this time. Leaf ABA concentrations varied little during the day, and heat girdling caused a rise in ABA concentrations, which was similar in both high-ABA and low-ABA lines, only after girdling for at least 4 h. ABA concentrations were highest in the leaves and it was only in the leaves and developing kerneIs that substantial differences in ABA concentrations were found between the high-ABA and low-ABA c1asses. Although aerial brace roots also had high ABA concentrations, other roots and stern internodes had ABA concentrations which were consistently low and the same for both ABA c1asses.Differences between the ABA c1asses were unlikely to be due to differences in leaf water status or in ABA export from the leaves. Other possible explanations for the genotypic differences in leaf ABA concentrations are discussed.