Genotypic diversity, heritability and agronomic performance high-oil maize populations

Abstract

High-oil corn is has greater energy than normal corn. High-oil maize is a high negative genetic correlation between kernel oil content and grain yield. To obtain high oil content and yields maize varieties, breeding procedure design are needed to improve that kind of maize with wide genetic diversity. This study aimed to determine the genotypic variability, heritability, and performance of agronomic traits high-oil maize populations. 129 maize oil populations and three maize population as check varieties were tested in Maros Experimental station (South Sulawesi), and Jambegede Experimental station (East Java). The experimental design was used Randomized Complete Block design with two replications. Each population was grown in single row of 4 m length plot, spaced 70 cm between rows and 20 cm within row. The result showed that the location effect, genotype x environment interaction effect was significant for all traits. The Genotypic variance was considered narrow for all traits, expected maize length, number of rows per ear, and 1000-kernel weight. Broad-sense heritability was low for all observed traits, excepted for 1000-kernel weight. The 20 best populations based on the highest grain yield in both locations were selected from the basic population, MHOC0-9 had highest grain yield and MHOC0-112 lowest grain yield.