Abstract
Abstract Breeding new maize varieties that take up more N from the soil and increase N fixation is a crucial source of combined nitrogen in agricultural systems. Thus, this study aimed to select superior maize parental lines efficient in the use of nitrogen and Azospirillum brasilense. Three experiments were conducted in two agricultural seasons aiming to allocate all diallel hybrids in three different nitrogen conditions. The experiments were performed in a RCB design with two replications, and the diallel was analyzed using the mixed model approach. The general combining ability and Azospirillum use efficiency were applied to select the best parental line. The most promising hybrid combinations were “I-08 x II-06”, “I-02 x II-04”, and “I-01 x II-02”. Parents involved were selected for the development of hybrids. Parents I-01, I-02, I-08, II-01, II-02, II-04, II-05, and II-06 were selected to explore the basic population in the A. brasilense-use efficiency breeding program.
Highlights
The greatest challenge in modern agriculture is to achieve high yield and minimize environmental impact, especially by creating alternative practices that may reduce the use of chemical fertilizers
The best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) estimates were obtained from A. brasilense-use efficiency (AUE) and nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) data, represented by AUE’BLUP and NUE’BLUP, respectively
The analysis of variance of genotypes under different conditions, in both agricultural years, showed differences for grain yield, indicating a considerable amount of variability of the germplasm used in this study (Table 1)
Summary
The greatest challenge in modern agriculture is to achieve high yield and minimize environmental impact, especially by creating alternative practices that may reduce the use of chemical fertilizers. Nitrogen (N) is the most required nutrient by maize crops, and the amount available in tropical soils is usually not enough to supply the demand of plants to express their maximum yield potential (Mendes-Santos et al 2017) In this context, one of the most promising agroecological approaches that may reduce N fertilization is to exploit the beneficial effect of soil microbiota. The species A. brasilense has been used in several maize studies; the results regarding yield improvement has not been conclusive yet (Andrade et al 2016, Martins et al 2016, Dickmann et al 2017) In this context, the selection of maize genotypes efficient in associating with A. brasilense and that have a higher N uptake may be a successful strategy to reduce N fertilization and improve yield. This study aimed to select superior maize parental lines efficient in the use of nitrogen and Azospirillum brasilense by applying the diallel mixed model
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