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Diallel Analysis of Ear Height and Associated Characters in Corn¹

Early and late low ear corn (Zea mays L.) synthetics were developed by sib-mating for lower ear height over 12 cycles of selection. Cycles 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 were crossed in a diallel set for a study on inheritance of ear height and associated characters.

Ear height was reduced an average of 3.20 cm per cycle in the early synthetic and 2.98 cm in the late synthetic. Plant height remained fairly constant in both synthetics. The plant-to-ear height ratio increased from 3.03 to 4.84 in the early synthetic and from 2.96 to 4.56 in the late synthetic.

Lower ear placement was associated with a change from a fewer number of nodes below the ear to a greater number of nodes above the ear in both synthetics. Over 12 cycles of selection, ears were lowered more than one node in each synthetic. Therefore, the lower ear heights were due to placement on the stalk as well as shorter internodes.

Large general combining ability mean squares indicated that the characters were controlled by additive gene action. Significant changes of the estimate of the general combining ability effects were less with each succeeding cycle of selection, indicating less progress in lowering ear height with each succeeding cycle.

Key Words: Cyclic selection • Ear placement • Plant-to-ear height ratio • Number of nodes • General combining ability

² Formerly graduate research assistant, Dep. of Plant and Soil Science, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37901; now assistant professor, Dep. of Agronomy, Louisiana Agric. Exp. Stn., Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA 70808, and professor and assistant professor, respectively.

Received for publication June 3, 1977.