INBRED LINES OF DIFFERENT CYCLES OF SELECTION - DONORS OF FAVOURABLE ALLELES FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE KERNEL ROW NUMBER OF F1 MAIZE HYBRIDS

Abstract

Eight maize inbred lines of different cycles of selection, originating from synthetic populations BSSS and BSCB1, were observed in the present study. The aim of the study was to evaluate inbreds and to determine which ones have the greatest relative values of favourable alleles for the improvement of the kernel row number in the elite single cross maize hybrid. Based on the estimated estimators: mG, UBND, PTC and NI, it was determined that the greatest number of favourable dominant alleles for the improvement of the kernel row number was detected in the inbred lines B73(C5) and B84(C7) originating from the synthetic population BSSS and in the inbreds B91(C8) and B90(C7) originating from the synthetic population BSCB1. These inbreds are of the later cycles of recurrent selection and have proven to be better donors of favourable alleles than inbreds of earlier cycles of selection. The rank correlations among used estimators were positive and highly significant, while the highest values of correlations for the kernel row number were determined between mG and PTC, mG and UBND and PTC and NI. The greatest kernel row number was determined in the hybrid B73(C5) x B84(C7).