Comparative evaluation of maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes based on distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) testing using physiological and morphological characters

Abstract

A major challenge facing those involved in the testing of new plant varieties for Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) is the need to compare them against all those of ‘common knowledge’. A set of maize inbred lines was used to compare how morphological and physio- logical characterization described variety relationships. An experiment was carried out to evaluate test of Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability using 26 physiological and 12 morphological characters. Minimum days for 50 % tasseling (50.66 and 50.66 days), minimum days for 50 % silking (53.66 and 53.66 days), minimum days for anthesis silking interval (3.0 and 2.6 days), maximum tassel branching (22.66 and 21.66), maximum cob height (89.70 and 89.16 cm) and maximum cob length (16.96 and 17.75 cm) were recorded in genotype AAIMS-1 in both experiments (2011 and 2012 respectively) and maximum cob width (12.51 and 13.11 cm) and maximum number of grain rows per cob (12.66 and 12.66) were recorded in genotype AAIMS-2 in both experiments (2011 and 2012 respectively). But maximum plant height (155.13 and 153.71cm), minimum days for maturity (86.00 and 88.00 days), maximum grain yield per plant (72.80 and 72.00 g) and maximum 100 seed weight (21.51 and 20.96 g) were recorded in genotype AAIMS-2 and AAIMS-1 respectively in both experiments conducted at experimental farm of Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences during the year 2011 and 2012 respectively.