Evaluation of Inbred Lines of Maize in a Diallel Cross under Normal Condition and Drought Stress

Abd-Elnaser, Muhammed; Fazaa, Mostafa; Saleh, Samir; Abdelsalam, Mohamed; Shawky, Mahmoud

doi:10.21608/ajs.2022.133765.1477

Evaluation of Inbred Lines of Maize in a Diallel Cross under Normal Condition and Drought Stress

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, P.O. Box 68, Hadayek Shoubra 11241, Cairo, Egypt

² Genetics Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, P.O. Box 68, Hadayek Shoubra 11241, Cairo, Egypt

³ Field Crops Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt.

10.21608/ajs.2022.133765.1477

Abstract

In this study, we examined eight white inbred lines of maize and their F1 crosses under normal and drought stress conditions to estimate their combining ability for grain yield and associated traits. The results showed significant correlation (mean squares) of irrigation treatment with the studied traits. The effects of parents, crosses, and genotypes were all determined to be highly significant under both irrigation levels. Grain yield and other traits showed significant differences (mean squares) associated with both General combining ability (GCA) and Specific combining ability (SCA) under both irrigation regimes, demonstrating the importance of both additive and nonadditive genetic effects in the expression of performance traits. The parental line (P-86) had positive and highly significant GCA effects, as well as the crosses (P-17×P-96), (P-8×P-96), (P-8×P-171), (P-24×P-86), (P-86×P-96), (P-86×P-171), and (P-96×P-171) which then gave the highest specific combinations under both irrigation regimes for grain yield and some of the associated traits. The highest level of heterosis (heterobeltiosis) for grain yield was obtained in the crosses (P-8×P-96), (P-8×P-137), (P-8×P-171), (P-96×P137), and (P-96×P-171) under both irrigation regimes.

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