Identification of promising parental lines and hybrids in sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata)

Abstract

Information on combining ability and standard heterosis are crucial for the success of any hybrid breeding program. The present study was conducted in sweet corn involving crossing of twenty inbreds as female lines and five inbreds as testers in line × tester mating fashion during kharif, 2019. Resulted 100 F 1 s were evaluated in rabi, 2019-2020 for twelve yields and its attributing traits. Analysis of variance for combining ability revealed the existence of wider variability in the material studied exhibiting significant differences due to lines, testers, hybrids and various interactions. Non-additive gene action was observed pre-dominant for all the traits. Inbreds SCGP-88, SCGP-111, SCGP-36-3-1, SCGP-91, BSL-4, SCGP-44-2, VNR-SC-24, VNR-SC-23, SCGP-66-1 and SCGP-61-1-4 were identified as good general combiners. Crosses viz., SCGP-207-1 × SCGP-44-2, SCGP-54 × VNR-SC-29, SCGP-42 × SCGP-80, SCGP-82 × SCGP-80 and SCGP-66-1 × SCGP-44-2 were identified as promising hybrid combinations based on per se performance, sca effects and standard heterosis over the commercial checks.

Identification of Potential Tropical Maize Inbred Lines with Early Maturity for Drought-Prone Environments

“…To achieve this, it is important to select suitable parents for hybridization and to develop promising hybrids with early maturity and high yield. (Chavan et al, 2022). This can be achieved by having information on the nature of combining ability of the parents and their performances in specific crosses i.e., general combining ability and specific combining ability (Sprague and Tatum, 1942) respectively and by assessing the magnitude of the heterosis and breeding strategy effective for developing hybrids (Renkow and Byerlee, 2010;Edmeades et al, 2017;Zaidi et al, 2019).…”