Genetic Components and Variability Assessment for Grain Yield and Its Accrediting Traits in Maize (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

Understanding the variability, heritability, and genetic advance in maize is crucial for efficient plant breeding and genetic improvement programmes. The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the various parameters related to assessment of genetic variability and nature of associations among traits affecting grain yield in 80 genotypes of maize (Zea mays L.) at the Research Farm, Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Gwalior, M.P., India during the Rabi seasons of 2019-20 and Kharif 2020-21. The analysis of variance revealed that highly significant differences exist among the inbred lines, their hybrids and checks for all the characters. Under irrigated and partial irrigated conditions, traits viz., days to 50 percent tasselling and silking, anthesis silking interval (ASI), plant height and membrane stability index exhibited high GCV and PCV. The characters with the highest heritability coupled with higher genetic advance were found for the traits namely: days to 50% silking and 50% tasselling, anthesis silking interval, plant height, numbers of kernel rows per cob, numbers of kernel per rows, seed yield per plant (g), numbers of cobs per plant, days to maturity, cob girth (cm), turgid weight (g), saturation water deficit and membrane stability index for both under irrigated and partial irrigated conditions. High heritability with higher genetic advance as percent of mean indicated the preponderance of additive gene action in controlling the traits. Hence direct selection of such characters would be effective in improving the yield in maize.