Genetic Analysis for Yield Potential and Quality Traits in Maize (Zea mays L.)

Grain yield is a complex phenomenon which results from the interaction of various contributing factors highly influenced by environmental variation. Phenotypic selection cannot directly improve the characters in heterozygous crops like maize unless dissected by genetic analysis. Gene action for various quantitative and qualitative traits was explored in a complete set of diallel involving seven elite inbred lines. Variance/Co-variance graphs revealed that the yield potential traits like number of days taken to tasselling, number of days taken to silking, plant height, number of ears per plant, number of kernel rows per ear, number of kernels per row, 100-kernel weight and grain yield per plant were controlled by over dominance type of gene action, while quality traits like protein and oil contents were under the control of partial dominance with additive type of gene action.