HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Moreno-Gonzalez, J. Articles by Losada, E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Moreno-Gonzalez, J. Articles by Losada, E. Agricola Articles by Moreno-Gonzalez, J. Articles by Losada, E.

Breeding Potential of European Flint and Earliness-Selected U.S. Corn Belt Dent Maize Populations

Centro de Investigaciones Agrarias de Mabegondo (CIAM), Apartado 10, 15080 La Coruña, Spain
Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Av. Universidad, #940,20100 Aguascalientes, Mexico
Centro de Investigaciones Agrarias de Mabegondo (CIAM), Apartado 10, 15080 La Coruña, Spain

^* Corresponding author (moreno_ciam{at}igatel.igape.es).

Flint x dent maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids are commonly planted in the early corn growing regions of Europe (northern and the Atlantic Coast of Europe). Evaluation of the early maize germplasm is important for the development of new commercial hybrids adapted to cooler summer regions. Our objectives were to assess the potential of flint and earliness-selected dent germplasm as base populations for developing early grain maize hybrids and to determine the performance and heterosis of this germplasm. Eight populations formed the base material of this study. Four populations were U.S. Corn Belt dent populations that had undergone several cycles of selection for earliness. The other four were European early flint populations. The eight populations, their diallel crosses, and topcrosses to inbreds A632 and EC18 were evaluated at five environments in northwestern Spain in 1991 and 1992. Dent populations outyielded Hint populations by 220 g kg^–1 at the per se level, by 100 g kg^–1 when crossed to flint and dent inbred testers, and by 50 g kg^–1 in the population diallel crosses. The yield heterosis of population crosses was 26% of the population yield mean. The dent germplasm exhibited less stalk and root lodging than flint germplasm. When yield and other agronomic traits are globally considered, the earliness-selected dent populations seem best for the development of hybrids to be grown in mild summer environments. Because specific dent germplasm is being developed for early areas, it seems that dent x dent commercial hybrids should progressively replace flint x dent hybrids in the early maize growing regions of Europe.

Received for publication September 10, 1996.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. Soengas, B. Ordas, R. A. Malvar, P. Revilla, and A. Ordas Combining Abilities and Heterosis for Adaptation in Flint Maize Populations Crop Sci., November 21, 2006; 46(6): 2666 - 2669. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. D. Melani and M. J. Carena Alternative Maize Heterotic Patterns for the Northern Corn Belt Crop Sci., September 23, 2005; 45(6): 2186 - 2194. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. A. Malvar, P. Revilla, A. Butron, B. Gouesnard, A. Boyat, P. Soengas, A. Alvarez, and A. Ordas Performance of Crosses among French and Spanish Maize Populations across Environments Crop Sci., May 6, 2005; 45(3): 1052 - 1057. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M.I. Vales, R.A. Malvar, P. Revilla, and A. Ordas Recurrent Selection for Grain Yield in Two Spanish Maize Synthetic Populations Crop Sci., January 1, 2001; 41(1): 15 - 19. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Moreno-Gonzalez, I. Martinez, I. Brichette, A. Lopez, and P. Castro Breeding Potential of European Flint and U.S. Corn Belt Dent Maize Populations for Forage Use Crop Sci., November 1, 2000; 40(6): 1588 - 1595. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]