ASSOCIATION ANALYSIS OF YIELD AND QUALITY ATTRIBUTES IN MAIZE
PREETI SHARMA*, M. S. PUNIA AND M. C. KAMBOJ
Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding
CCS Haryana Agricultural University,
Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
*(e-mail : sharmapreeti.genetics@gmail.com)
(Received : 13 November 2016; Accepted : 25 December 2016)
SUMMARY
The experiment was conducted to evaluate the relationship among 17 quantitative traits. The 63 single cross hybrids developed from crossing nine productive maize inbred lines with seven quality protein maize inbred lines in line x tester mating design along with their parents and standard checks were evaluated through correlation studies at experimental area of CCS Haryana Agricultural University Regional Research Station, Uchani, Karnal during 2013-14. Correlation is important in estimating the relative importance of various characters on grain yield. From the association analysis, it was found that grain yield per plant showed significant positive correlation with days to 50 per cent tesselling, days to 50 per cent silking, days to maturity, plant height, ear height, cob length, cob diameter, number of grains per cob, 100-grain weight, shelling percentage and lysine content, whereas it was found significant negative with protein content and starch content. Among yield and quality characters, grain yield per plant had significant negative correlation with protein content and starch content. Protein content had significant negative correlation with tryptophan content and tryptophan was significantly positively correlated with lysine content. While oil content and lysine content exhibited positive and significant association with grain yield per plant but with tryptophan content, grain yield per plant showed positive but non-significant association. Strong positive and significant association was established between lysine content and tryptophan content. Hence, days to 50 per cent tesselling, days to 50 per cent silking, days to maturity, plant height, ear height, cob length, cob diameter, number of grains per cob, 100-grain weight, shelling percentage, oil content and lysine content, tryptophan content should be given more importance while formulating selection indices for grain yield improvement in maize.
Key words: Characters association, yield, quality, maize