TITLE:
Combining Ability and Heterosis in Corn Breeding Lines to Forage and Grain
AUTHORS:
Cesar Guerrero Guerrero, Miguel A. Gallegos Robles, José Guadalupe Luna Ortega, Ignacio Orona Castillo, Cirilo Vázquez Vázquez, Mario García Carrillo, Alejandro Moreno Resendez, Anselmo González Torres
KEYWORDS:
Zea mays L.; Hybrids; Genetic Material; Crosses; SCA
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.6,
March
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: This study was conducted in two stages, in 2006 the formation of cross,
in the experimental field of the Universidad Autonoma Agraria Antonio Narro Unidad Laguna (UAAANUL), and the evaluation of
the same in 2007; at two locations with three environments, a
locality was the experimental field of UAAANUL during spring and summer cycles and another location was the Niagara, Municipality
of Aguascalientes, during the spring cycle. The genetic material used consisted
of three groups of lines: the first group formed by four lines from the
UAAANUL, the second group, two lines from INIFAP, and the third group, 10 lines of the International Center for
Maize Improvement and Wheat (CIMMYT). The main objective was to estimate the
effects of general combining ability (GCA) of the lines, and the specific
combining ability (SCA) of their crosses and heterosis, to estimate its use in
a breeding program. Estimates of general combining ability (GCA) and specific
combining ability (SCA) were obtained using an analysis of line x
line. To forage yield (FY), B-40 (16.84 t·ha-1) and AN-447 (1.54 t·ha-1)
and to grain yield (GY), AN-388R (2.31 t·ha-1) had the greatest effect of GCA in both types of yield. The
greatest effects of SCA for (FY) were cross AN-447XCML-264 (17.56 t·ha-1) and
AN-388RXCML-319 (16.54 t·ha-1), in (GY) were cross AN-447XCML-315 (1.94 t·ha-1) and
B-40XCML-319 (1.78 t·ha-1). For heterosis, higher value in forage
yield was cross AN-447XCML-264 (20.7%), in grain yield, were B-40XCML-319 (27.1%)
and B-32XCML-319 (22.1%)
crosses. These results show that it is possible to structure a hybrid program
using best lines from CIMMYT, INIFAP and UAAANUL.