Abstract
To identify the ideal harvest time (IHT) for the seed production of XY335 and ZD958, six seed-related traits were evaluated in seeds harvested at 11 harvest stages in 8 environments. Standard germination (SG), accelerated aging germination (AAG) and cold test germination (CTG) were vigor traits; hundred-seed weight (HSW) and seed moisture content (SMC) were physiological traits; and ≥10 °C accumulated temperature from pollination to harvest (AT10ph) was an ecological trait. All the traits were significantly affected by harvest stage. The responses of SG, AAG, CTG and HSW to postponing harvest stage fit quadratic models, while SMC and AT10ph fit linear models. The IHT (indicated by the last date to reach maximum SG, AAG and CTG) were 57.97 DAP and 56.80 DAP for XY335 and ZD958, respectively. SMC and AT10ph at IHT were 33.15% and 1234 °C for XY335, and 34.98% and 1226 °C for ZD958, respectively. The period to reach the maximum HSW was 5 days later than the IHT. Compared to HSW and SMC, AT10ph had a closer relationship to the seed vigor traits. Together with the fact that AT10ph was less affected by environment, these results suggested that AT10ph may be a novel indicator for determining the IHT.
Highlights
Along with rice and wheat, maize is one of the three major cereal crops in the world
A total of six seed-related traits, including three vigor traits (SG, accelerated aging test germination (AAG) and cold test germination (CTG)), two physiological traits (HSW and seed moisture content (SMC)) and one ecological trait (AT10ph), for hybrids ZD958 and XY335 was collected at 11 harvest stages under 8 environments (Table 1)
As indicated by Pearson correlation coefficients (Fig. 1), the three seed vigor traits showed significant positive correlations with hundredseed weight (HSW) and AT10 from pollination to harvest (AT10ph), while they were negatively correlated with SMC
Summary
Along with rice and wheat, maize is one of the three major cereal crops in the world. Producing high-quality hybrid maize seeds is extremely important for the economic benefit of seed companies, as well as the demand for Chinese food security. Standard germination (SG), cold test germination (CTG) and accelerated aging test germination (AAG) are the three most widely used parameters regarding seed vigor[4]. CTG and AAG are two seed vigor indexes that have been used for predicting field seedling emergence[5,6]. Harvesting at the proper time is a key factor that contributes to obtaining high vigor seeds in production. The delayed harvest of seeds increases the potential damages from insects and microorganisms that may accelerate the seed deterioration process[8,9]. Studies to determine the ideal harvest time (IHT) for seed production are necessary to ensure maximum vigor in hybrid maize. Planting data XY335/ZD958 April 20 April May 1 May 4 May 6 April April 28 April 28 pollination date XY335 ZD938 July 25 July 22 July 25 July 22 July 30 July 27 July 26 July 23 July 31 July 28 July 24 July 24 July 29 July 26 July 30 July 27
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