DECIPHERING GENETIC DIVERSITY FOR YIELD AND AGRO - MORPHOLOGICALTRAITS IN TROPICAL MAIZE INBRED LINES (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

This study aimed to determine genetic parameters and the magnitude of association between yield and morpho-agronomical traits in maize to improve the efficiency of selection in future breeding programs for high-density planting. The experiment was conducted during Kharif 2023 at the Maize Research Centre, Agricultural Research Institute, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, using a Randomized Block Design with two replications. A total of 52 tropical maize inbred lines were evaluated for various morphoagronomical
traits, including number of leaves above and below the ear, tassel branch number, tassel main axis length, plant height, ear height, leaf angle, leaf length, leaf width and total number of leaves per plant, all of which influence the leaf and stem architecture of maize. The results revealed that traits such as plant height, total number of leaves, leaf length, leaf width, number of kernels per row, number of rows per cob, and shelling percentage exhibited moderate to high values of genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation, heritability, and genetic advance as percent of mean. These traits also showed positive and significant correlations along with direct effects on yield per cob, indicating their importance in selection. Based on these findings, the inbred lines GP88, PFSR29, PFSR32, PFSR51, BML6 and BML20 were identified as promising genotypes for use in further breeding programs aimed at improving yield under high-density planting