HETEROSIS STUDIES FOR YIELD AND YIELD ATTRIBUTING TRAITS IN
FORAGE MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.)
J. I. NANAVATI*
Main Forage Research Station
Anand Agricultural University,
Anand-388 110 (Gujarat), India
*(e-mail : nanavatijayesh15@gmail.com)
(Received : 08 June 2016; Accepted : 25 June 2016)
SUMMARY
The utility of heterosis per se may not be of much use, but cross combinations showing excellent hybrid vigour can be used in developing high yielding forage hybrids in maize crop. The present investigation was conducted at Main Forage Research Station, Anand Agricultural University, Anand during rabi, 2012 season. The experimental material consisted of 45 F1 and their 14 parents. Material was sown in randomized complete block design with three replications. The hybrids were evaluated to know the extent of heterosis over better parent. For green forage yield per plant, maximum heterobeltiosis observed in the hybrid African Tall x GWC-0319 (104.87 per cent). This hybrid can be identified as potential hybrid for wide spread cultivation and commercial exploitation after necessary testing. This cross can also be advanced for isolation of superior genotypes and selected genotypes may intermated to map up fixable genetic variance.
Key words:Forage Maize, Heterosis, Heterobeltiosis, Hybrid, Parents