Khajoane TJ^1,2, MT Labuschagne¹ and NW Mbuma^1,2*

¹Department of Plant Sciences, University of the Free State, South Africa
²Department of Plant Breeding, Agricultural Research Council-Vegetables, Industrial and Medicinal Plants Institute, South Africa

*Corresponding Author: Mbuma N, Researcher, Department of Plant Breeding, Agricultural Research Council-Vegetables, Industrial and Medicinal Plants Institute, South Africa.

Received: April 16, 2024; Published: June 15, 2024

Abstract

Maize is a staple food crop that can provide multiple dietary components, and has the potential to improve food security and address malnutrition. The objectives of this study were to determine the phenotpic variation among maize hybrids for grain yield, nutritional quality traits and milling quality, to identify superior maize hybrids, and to determine the interrelationship between measured traits. Eighteen maize hybrids (nine commercial and nine experimental) were planted in a randomised complete block design with six replicates in seven different environments in South Africa. Genotype, environment and their interaction effects were significant for grain yield and measured traits, indicating the existence of variability in maize breeding populations. Broad sense heritability for starch, milling quality, fibre and defective grain (DEFG) was above 50%, which indicated that the phenotypic differences of these traits were mostly attributed by environmental factors. Grain yield, protein, moisture and fat had broad sense heritability that was below 50%, indicating that the phenotypic differences of the traits were due to genotypic effects. Superior maize hybrids, G15-Ex (grain yield, fat and milling quality), G16-Ex (protein), G11-Ex (starch) and G14-Ex (fibre) were identified. Hybrids G2-C and G4-Ex had low values for DEFG. A significant and positive correlation was observed for protein with grain yield. Milling quality was positively correlated with almost all traits measured, indicating the possibility of multiple trait selection. Starch was negatively associated with protein and grain yield. The clustered heat map distinguished three distinct clusters of maize hybrids namely; 1) G1-C, G7-C, G9-C, G13-Ex, G14-Ex, G16-Ex and G17-Ex associated with protein and fibre, 2) G4-Ex, G5-C, G6-C, G8-C and G11-Ex associated with grain yield, fat, moisture and fibre and, 3) G3-C, G10-C, G12-Ex, G15-Ex and G18-Ex associated with milling quality and fat. High-yielding maize hybrids with good nutritional quality can be tested for adaptability and stability and recommended for commercial release.

Keywords: Zea mays; Diversity; Hybrid Breeding; Phenotypic Correlations; Grain Yield; Nutritional Quality

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Citation

Citation: NW Mbuma., et al. “Phenotypic Variation, Broad-Sense Heritability and Interrelationship between Grain Yield, Nutritional Traits and Milling Quality in South African Maize Hybrids". Acta Scientific Agriculture 8.7 (2024): 34-45.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 NW Mbuma., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.