CHISINAU (KISHINEV), MOLDOVA

Institute of Genetics, Acad. Sci. Mold. Rep.

 The posterior evaluation of maize selection for productivity --Chernov, AA, Mihailov, ME The objective of the present study was to establish the efficiency of maize selection for productivity by means of posterior evaluation. The study was carried out on a high-yielding hybrid, Moldavsky 291, that is widely cultivated in Moldova. The parental lines, F1, F2 and F3 plants were estimated for the following quantitative traits:

1) time from emergence to the flowering of panicles;

2) time from emergence to the flowering of top ears;

3) time lag of the onset of flowering between panicle and top ear;

4) time from flowering to the maturation of top ears;

5) time from emergence to the maturation of top ears;

6) number of stems;

7) plant height;

8) stem length;

9) panicle length;

10) top ear position on the stem;

11) diameter of the bottom first internode;

12) number of the above-ground nodes;

13) number of ears with kernels;

14) internode mean length;

15) stem volume parameter;

16) ratio of stem length to bottom first internode diameter;

17) weight of top ear at harvest;

18) weight of the remaining ears at harvest;

19) total weight of ears;

20) the proportion of second top ears in total ear weight;

21) daily increment in ears weight;

22) weight of the cob of top ear;

23) number of kernel rows on the top ear;

24) number of kernels on the top ear;

25) number of kernels in row on the top ear.

26) top ear length;

27) top ear diameter;

28) ratio of top ear length to diameter;

29) weight of 1000 kernels;

30) grain index.

The efficiency of maize selection for productivity was estimated for the correlation of the quantitative traits studied in F2 with the total weight of ears in F3. The correlation analysis has shown three traits to differ with respect to the efficiency of maize selection for productivity: internode mean length, diameter and weight of top ear at harvest. For the internode mean length in F2 statistically significant correlation with total weight of ears in F3 reached 0.76 (P<0.01), for diameter of top ear: 0.52, for weight of top ear at harvest: 0.49. The correlation between total weight of ears in F2 and F3 reached only 0.22.

The results suggest that the efficiency of maize improvement for productivity may be increased by means of the selection for internode mean length, diameter and weight of top ear at harvest. The results obtained depend on year conditions. Future research is needed to ascertain the nature of the effects observed.
 
 

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