Vol. 12, Issue 9 (2023)

Author(s):
K Sumathi and D Uma Maheshwari

Abstract:
The present study was laid out during Rabi, 2012 at Department of Millets, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India with an objective to assess the inheritance of agronomic traits from parent to their off spring of maize back cross (BC₂F₁) populations. For this purpose, five agronomic traits viz., Cob length, Cob diameter, Cob weight, Yield per plant and 100 grain weight were taken among the five backcross populations viz., UMI 79/936 –BC₂F₁ progeny -2, UMI 79/936 –BC₂F₁ progeny -3, UMI 79/936 –BC₂F₁ progeny -7, UMI 79/936 –BC₂F₁ progeny -23 and UMI 79/936 –BC₂F₁ progeny -29 (each progeny had 75 to 100 plants) which was developed by crossing the UMI 79 and UMI 936; and subsequent back cross with UMI 79. Heritability is a measure of the degree (0 to 100%) to which offspring resemble their parents for a specific trait. Result of this study showed that high amount of heritability was observed in most of the progenies which indicating that the variation observed in trait is governed by additive gene action. The backcross progenies viz.,BC₂F₁ Progeny -7 (62.57%), UMI 79/936 –BC₂F₁ Progeny -23 (72.67%) and UMI 79/936 –BC₂F₁ Progeny -29 having additive gene interaction for agronomic traits is the immense source and serve as the parent to develop hybrid in maize.