Abstract
In this study, seven maize inbred lines representing different tropical, drought tolerant populations and two adapted temperate maize inbred lines were crossed in a half-diallel mating design to determine combining abilities. The genotypes were tested in well-watered (WW) and managed water stressed (WS) conditions in 2013 and 2014. General combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) mean squares were significant for all investigated traits and demonstrated both additive and non-additive genetic effects in both conditions. Higher desired leaf rolling, leaf senescence, stomatal conductance and leaf chlorophyll content GCA effects of tropical inbreds under WS conditions showed the presence of the valuable allels related to drought stress. SCA analysis revealed that the best hybrids for water use efficiency and irrigation water use efficiency were tropical x temperate crosses. Stress tolerance index and drought resistance index identified G5 x G9, a tropical x temperate hybrid, as the most tolerant hybrid to drought. Our study suggests that tropical drought tolerant germplasm has the potential to contribute useful genetic diversity to temperate maize breeding programs.
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