Evaluation of Potential Utilization of Plant Architecture Traits of Several Huangzaosi Improved Lines in Maize

The combination ability and genetic parameters for plant architecture traits of five major HuangZaoSi improved lines in maize were analyzed by means of NCII experiment design.The results showed that plant height had significantly positive relationship to tassel length but had significantly negative relationship to tassel number.The tassel number had significantly negative relationship to tassel length,ear height,and trefoil angel bar.Additionally,tassel length,tassel number,and ear height with high genetic ability could be selected at the early generation,while plant height and trefoil angel bar were reverse.The inbred line lx9801 had high general combining ability and variance of special combining ability in plant height and tassel length;it implied the potential utilization for the related plant architecture in maize breeding.For inbred lines Xun928 and Xun926,their major unfavorable trait was high ear height,and must be improved before used in practice.The inbred line Chang7-2 was suitable used as paternal parent owing to its high special combining ability,total combining ability in plant height and more tassel number.The inbred line K17 had potential utilization in decreasing ear height,because it had the lowest total combining ability of ear height and high variance of special combining ability of plant height.