GENETIC VARIABILITY, HERITABILITY AND GENETIC ADVANCE STUDIES IN NEWLY DEVELOPED MAIZE GENOTYPES ( Y DEVELOPED MAIZE GENOTYPES (ZEA MAYS L.) )

Abstract

The present investigation was undertaken to assess the variability, heritability and genetic advance of twenty five genotypes of maize obtained from All India Co-ordinated Maize Improvement Project for their further utilization in breeding programme(s). Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among genotypes for all the traits studied. Genotype CM-145 gave highest seed yield per plant (113.80g) followed by HUZM-478 (105.14g), HUZM-88 (101.91g), HUZM- 60 (101.82g), HKI-1105 (95.21g), V-336 (93.77g), V-388 (90.96g), HUZM-185 (90.58g), HKI-162 (86.85g) and HKI-287(86.27g). Estimates of phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were higher than genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) for all the traits. PCV was highest for grain yield per plant (25.68%) followed by number of kernels per row (23.69%) and ear height (23.10%). GCV was highest for ear height (20.00%) followed by 100 seed weight (19.72%). Estimates of broad sense heritability were higher for all the characters except for number of kernels per row (33.80). High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for grain yield per plant (54.50, 28.82) and ear height (75.00, 35.69), while, days to 50% tasseling (56.20, 7.62) and days to 50% silking (47.80, 5.19) showed higher heritability coupled with low genetic advance as percentage of mean.