Abstract
The objective of this work was to investigate heterosis and its components in 16 white grain maize populations presenting high quality protein. These populations were divided according to grain type in order to establish different heterosis groups. The crosses were carried out according to a partial diallel cross design among flint and dent populations. Seven agronomic traits were evaluated in three environments while four leaf diseases and incidence of corn stunt were evaluated in one. Least square procedure was applied to the normal equation X'Xbeta = X'Y, to estimate the model effects and their respective sum of squares. Among the heterosis components, in diallel analysis, significance for average heterosis in grain yield, number of days to female flowering and to all evaluated diseases was detected. Specific heterosis was significant for days to female flowering and resistance to Puccinia polysora. Results concerned to grain yield trait indicate that populations with superior performance in dent group, no matter what flint population group is used in crosses, tend to generate superior intervarietal hybrids. In decreasing order of preference, the dent type populations CMS 476, ZQP/B 103 and ZQP/B 101 and the flint type CMS 461, CMS 460, ZQP/B 104 and ZQP/B 102 are recommended to form composites.
Highlights
Maize is a vital food source in many areas of the developing world, in poor rural communities
Any breeding strategy for high protein quality germplasm cannot be accomplished without help of grain and protein quality analyses (Vasal, 1994)
The effects of varieties, varieties within dent group and average heterosis were significant for grain yield
Summary
Maize is a vital food source in many areas of the developing world, in poor rural communities. Its cropping in poor countries spread rapidly because of the robustness and high adaptability of maize to a wide range of environments. Maize is the staple food for people of many Latin America countries while in industrialized ones it is used mainly as animal feed. Protein content in maize grains is about 9.5%, and approximately 42 million tons of maize protein produced account for 15% of the world protein production (National..., 1988). Zein – the main maize grain protein – is poor in lysine and triptophan and presents low digestibility. The cereal has lower protein quality for monogastric animal nutrition in comparison to other sources. The Opaque 2 (o2) gene increases significantly
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