Identification And Evaluation Of Ear Traits In Maize Inbred Lines

Selection of inbred lines is the foundation and prerequisite of excellent maize variety breeding. In this study,521 inbred lines collected form china and US were used for investigation and analysis of the main agronomic characters of maize ear characters and seed traits included disease resistance. The mainly results were obtained as followed:Firstly, ear diameter, ear length, grain type, rows per ear, and ear weight were measured. Inbred lines of different panicle traits investigation data approximately obey the normal distribution. The corresponding variation ranges are:ear diameter is 12.80-25.30 cm; ear length is 14.60-79.20 cm, an ear row is 8.0-25.6, ear weight is 27.20-666.1g. These results illustrate that the differences among these inbred lines exist wide genetic variation. Significant correlation between panicle traits, especially the significant correlation between ear diameter, ear weight, grain weight per spike, axis diameter, axle load, the correlation coefficients were 0.730,0.612,0.570 and 0.462.Secondly, the investigation and analysis of the cob diameter, cob weight, cob color, grain weight, grain length, grain width and other agronomic traits showed wide genetic variability among the inbred lines. The values between the maximum and the minimum of related traits were grain weight 476.5, cob diameter 21.86, cob weight 139.70, grain length 5.74, grain width 5.86, grain thickness 4.10, and 100-seed weight 31.53.Thirdly, head smut and common smut of maize inbred lines were surveyed in the field. Fifty inbred lines were susceptible to head smut; 86 inbred lines were susceptible to common smut. Four of them were highly susceptible to head smut, Seventeen of them were high sensitive tumor black powder. These are basic maize inbred lines for future breeding, mainly related to disease resistance breeding.Fourthly, Correlation was significant between grain length and grain weight per ear, ear diameter,100 grain weight. The correlation coefficients were 0.549,0.588, and 0.600. Some elite lines were selected such as 99122, e group 4,68122,75, XF117, R08, Su 1313, D886,68139,87001 which showed excellent characters compared with other inbred lines.