Genetic Analysis for Popping Traits in Tropical Inbred Lines of Popcorn (Zea mays var. everta)

Abstract

Aim: Combining ability studies in popcorn to identify superior parents for commercial hybrid breeding. Study Design: line x tester mating fashion. Place and Duration of Study: MRC, PJTSAU, Rajendranagar Hyderabad, between 2023-2024. Methodology: Popcorn (Zea mays var. everta) is a popular snack item both in India and other countries, the genetic base of popcorn germplasm is very narrow, and they resulted in few popcorn hybrids. In this study, a set of 44 popcorn hybrids obtained by crossing 22 inbred lines with two testers in line x tester fashion were evaluated along with parents and two standard checks i.e. Amber popcorn and BPCH-6. Results: Combining ability analysis implied significant differences among parents, crosses, parent’s v/s crosses for all the traits indicating variation in the selected lines of popcorn. For grain yield, lines PC 1, PC 116, PC 6-1, PC 12-2, PC 25, PC 201-1 and tester CML 451 were identified as good general combiners, whereas crosses, PC 1 x CML 451, PC 25-1 x CML 451, PC 71-1 x CML 451 and PC 5 x CML 286 showed high desirable sca effects for grain yield. The popping expansion trait in crosses viz., PC 22 x CML 451, PC 5 x CML 286, PC 72-2 x CML 451 displayed desirable sca effects. In addition to these hybrids PC 5 x CML 286 exhibited positive significant sca values along with high per se performance for both the traits. Conclusion: The lines which show desirable performance for yield and popping traits will be utilized in further development of popcorn hybrids.