Reciprocal recurrent selection in maize enhances heterosis and ears yield

Abstract

The objective of the research was to evaluate recurrent selection strategies in maize (Zea mays L.) by determining the expected and realized responses to selection, as well as the alterations in heterosis, of hybrids from the cross between the original populations (C0) and the third cycle (C3). The genetic variances and covariances were obtained for intrapopulational (P11 and P22) and interpopulational (P12 and P21) half-sib progenies from populations 1 and 2 in cycles C0 and C3. One-hundred progenies of each type were evaluated [husked ear weight (g plant−1)] at two separate locations by conducting 10 × 10 triple lattice design experiments contiguous for each cycle. Four different recurrent selection strategies were investigated: reciprocal recurrent selection (RRS), interpopulation testcross half-sib selection (THS 1 and THS 2) and intrapopulational half-sib recurrent selection (HSS). THS 1, which employed population 1 (with the lowest frequency of favorable alleles) as tester, was most efficient in the simultaneous improvement of the hybrid and the two populations per se. RRS showed the highest efficiency in improving the interpopulational hybrid but not in the parental populations. In order to estimate heterosis and realized responses to RRS, representative samples of seed from intra and inter-populational half-sib progenies from C0 and C3 were employed in randomized block design experiments with 10 repetitions carried out at two separate locations. RRS increased heterosis in the interpopulational hybrid from 12.3 % (C0) to 24.9 % (C3), and the productivity gain [husked ear weight (t ha−1)] was 13.5 % over the three cycles.