Selection of maize genotypes for drought tolerance improvement

Abstract

Abstract Climate change alters crop production in tropical and subtropical regions, and drought is a big challenge in maize production nowadays and near future. Breeding drought-tolerant varieties is important to keep production stability and food security. This research was undertaken to evaluate agronomic performance and yield potential of several maize genotypes in a drought stress environment, and to identify potential genotypes for further utilization in a maize breeding program. The experiment was conducted using an augmented design with 370 test genotypes and 6 checks at Sukoharjo Village, Kediri, East Java, from September 2014 to January 2015. The plants suffered from drought stress in the pre-anthesis period. Results of the analysis of variance showed that the effect of genotype is significant on grain yield, ear yield, plant height, and ear height. Linear correlation analysis showed that grain yield is negatively correlated with leaf senescence. Selection for tolerant genotypes was conducted using selection index and cluster analysis. Line 249 and 252 are considered potential for subsequent breeding processes because they have similar traits with a formerly known drought-tolerant variety, namely Bima 19URI.

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