Characteristics of the new self-pollinated waxy maize lines

Abstract

The subspecies of waxy maize (Zea mays L. Ceratina) has not been adequately studied, despite the fact that its kernels are considered a valuable raw material in the food and technical industries. The purpose of the current work was to study new self-pollinated waxy maize lines and identify promising maize hybrids with an increased content of amylopectin starch in kernels. The study was carried out in the FSBSI “Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy” in 2017-2019. The initial material was presented by 40 new self-pollinated maize lines (I6) belonging to the waxy subspecies. They were studied according to the set of traits. The highly variable traits were kernels' productivity, plant lodging, blister smut infection, one cob weight (V = 27.4-191.6%); the moderate variable traits were a height of cob attachment, number of cobs per plant, 1000-kernel weight, number of kernels in a row and per cob (V = 10.3-19.0%); the slightly variable traits were harvesting moisture content in kernels, length of the period “sprouts - cobs' flowering”, plant height (V = 2.2-9.6). There have been identified the new lines ‘24/86', ‘25/92(2)', ‘26/8', ‘25/94' with a high content of amylopectin starch in kernels (68.6-69.4%), kernels' productivity (0.96-1.76 t/ha), low harvest moisture content of kernels (13.7-15.1%), high resistance to lodging (0-3.3% of lodged plants), weak infection of blister smut on a natural background (0.4-6, 5% of infected plants), with an average cob attachment height (42-53 cm). The new self-pollinated line ‘27/8' had an average starch content in kernels (68.0%), but was identified by high kernels' productivity (2.70 t/ha) and high values of other economically valuable traits. The results of the structural analysis have shown that the waxy maize lines formed the yields due to the combination of high values of various elements of the grain yield structure. For example, the most productive line ‘26/8' differed in the maximum weight of one cob (93.9 g) and 1000 kernel weight (251 g).