Abstract
ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to investigate relations among ten traits in super-sweet corn genotypes assessed by means of simple correlation, path and canonical variable analyses, as well as to investigate the relative importance of such traits to the super-sweet corn breeding program developed at Darcy Ribeiro Northern Fluminense State University in order to develop strategies able to improve the efficiency in the selection of superior genotypes. Thus, trials comprising 3 × 6 partial diallel of super-sweet (sh2) corn were carried out, according to a short_textrandomized block design (RBD)short_text with four repetitions, in two different environments located in Northern Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil (Itaocara and Campos dos Goytacazes counties). The correlation study showed that traits such as ear diameter and useful short_textearshort_text length contributed the most to increase short_textearshort_text yield (without husk); the variable ear diameter stood out for having stronger direct effect on ear yield, as well as for presenting high heritability (0.95). The trait number of grains per ear row contributed the most to the variation between hybrids, whereas the trait useful ear length contributed the least. The canonical variables showed that the genetic backgrounds of sh2-gene donor populations had effect on recurrent populations, even after five backcrossing cycles, thus resulting in the formation of two divergent groups.
Highlights
Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the most widely cultivated species in the world
The main cultivar traded in Brazil is Tropical Plus, which was registered in 2005 by the multinational company Syngenta and is recommended for cultivation from Northern to Southern Brazil (MAPA 2016)
Based on 10 × 10 partial diallel trials conducted in two different environments, nine inbred lines were selected, according to their general and specific combining ability, to be used in a more advanced stage of the Super-Sweet Corn Breeding Program developed at Darcy Ribeiro Northern Fluminense State University
Summary
Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the most widely cultivated species in the world. It accounts for 38.8% of the total cereal, legume and oilseed production in Brazil and its annual grain production reaches 82.7 million tons (IBGE 2016). It has enormous potential for sweet corn production; such potential is yet to be explored. Sweet corn is among the most profitable vegetables (ABCSEM 2014); nowadays, it has limited productivity due to low supply of quality cultivars to several regions in the country. The main cultivar traded in Brazil is Tropical Plus (sh2), which was registered in 2005 by the multinational company Syngenta and is recommended for cultivation from Northern to Southern Brazil (MAPA 2016)
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