Heterosis and its components in crosses among high quality protein maize populations
Márcio C. Rodrigues and Lázaro J. Chaves
The objective of the present study was to investigate heterosis in high quality protein maize populations of distinct grain type groups. Agronomic traits and reaction to some leaf diseases of 19 yellow grain populations were assessed in a partial diallel grown in four environments. For grain yield trait, only variety effects and average heterosis were significant, indicating that the best intervarietal hybrids can be predicted using the means of the parental populations. The BR 473 and CMS 52 flint populations, the CMS 474 and ZQP 103 dent populations are recommended for an inter-group reciprocal recurrent selection program. In a decreasing order of preference, the dent type CMS 474, ZQP 103 and ZQP 101 populations and the flint type BR 473, CMS 455C, CMS 453, CMS 52, CMS 455 and CMS 458 are recommended to form composites.