Grain yield performance and flowering synchrony of CIMMYT’s tropical maize (Zea mays L.) parental inbred lines and single crosses

Mosisa Worku,Yoseph Beyene,Marianne Bänziger,Dan Makumbi,Kevin Pixley,Michael Olsen,Biswanath Das,Boddupalli M Prasanna,Godfrey Asea,Stephen Mugo,Fidelis Owino

doi:10.1007/s10681-016-1758-3

Abstract

AbstractMaize production constraints in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are being addressed by CIMMYT and partners through an array of projects, focusing on developing and evaluating parental inbred lines and single-crosses as well as formulating, evaluating and releasing high-yielding and stress resilient hybrids adapted to different agro-ecologies. The objectives of the present study were to (1) evaluate the grain yield performance of parental elite inbred lines developed over the years, and single crosses; and (2) ascertain the flowering synchrony among inbred lines and single-cross hybrid parents. Parental inbred lines and single-crosses were evaluated at seven locations in two countries in 2014. Combined analysis of variance revealed differences (P < 0.01) among genotypes for grain yield (GY) and among different years/era of release of the inbred lines. The improvement in GY of inbred lines was estimated to be 1.4 % per year. Under irrigated conditions GY of some single-cross hybrids was over 16 t ha−1. Some single-cross and inbred line parents showed acceptable flowering synchrony, good producibility, and stable performance across testing environments, suggesting that these have high potential for seed production. Further research is needed to determine the physiological and morphological characteristics that contributed to the GY improvement in the parental inbred lines. Information generated from this study will enhance the use of CIMMYT’s tropical mid-altitude parental germplasm by breeders working in both private and public breeding programs for developing and deploying high-yielding maize hybrids for the benefit of small-scale farmers in SSA.

Highlights

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major food crop in subSaharan Africa (SSA) with consumption averaging about 72 kg per capita (FAOSTAT 2014)
The present study evaluated across location grain yield performance of inbred lines developed over an 18 year period (1996–2013) and single-cross hybrids, and investigated flowering synchrony of male parental inbred lines and single-cross seed parents
This study revealed that the productivity of CIMMYT’s tropical maize inbred lines has improved over the last 18 years

Summary

Introduction

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major food crop in subSaharan Africa (SSA) with consumption averaging about 72 kg per capita (FAOSTAT 2014). Smallholders in SSA who depend on maize for their income and livelihoods continue to grapple with several constraints including drought, poor soil fertility, emergence of new pests and diseases, lack of access to quality seed, degradation of soil and water resources, poor purchasing capacity and many others (Shiferaw et al 2011). Availability of improved maize varieties has spurred the growth of many small and medium sized seed companies in the region, with the number quadrupling between 1997 and 2007 (Langyintuo et al 2010). Release and utilization of maize hybrids have increased significantly over the years (Langyintuo et al 2010; Worku et al 2012)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion