Correlation and Cluster Analyses of the Traits of 102 Maize Inbred Lines in Southeastern Yunnan

Correlation and clustering analyses of 16 quantitative traits of 102 maize inbred lines in Wenshan county of Southeastern Yunnan showed that the trait branch number of tassels had the highest coefficient of variation(38.90%),while growth period had the lowest(4.21%).Significant correlations were observed between the growth period-related traits(tasseling days and silking days),among the plant-related traits(plant height,ear height,leaf number,leaf length,leaf width and stem diameter) and among the era-related traits(ear length,row number per ear,grain number per row,100-grain-weight,core diameter and ear diameter).Highly significant correlations were noticed between growth period and leaf number and between the ear traits and leaf length.Results of clustering and lineage analyses were inconsistent with those of previous reports,indicating that it is necessary to consider carefully the clustering results based on agronomic traits for maize breeding.