Maternal haploid waxy maize, environmental effects on grain yield, and quality parameters

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Breeding
• Genetics

Background:

• Waxy maize (Zea mays L. var. ceratina Kulesh) and its high-amylopectin content are crucial for food, textile, adhesive, and paper industries.
• Turkey currently relies on imported waxy maize due to the absence of registered domestic varieties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To rapidly develop doubled haploid (DH) waxy maize lines using the in vivo maternal haploid technique.
• To assess the genetic similarity, crossbreeding potential, and yield stability of newly developed waxy maize lines and hybrids.

Main Methods:

• Application of the in vivo maternal haploid technique using specific inducer lines (RWS, RWK-76).
• SSR markers were employed to determine genetic similarity among 17 DH waxy lines.
• Crossbreeding of DH lines, followed by iodine testing and quality parameter analysis of hybrids.
• Field trials across three locations to evaluate grain yield and stability of selected waxy hybrids, including genotype × environment interaction analysis using PCA biplot.

Main Results:

• Genetic similarity among DH waxy lines varied from 12% to 68%.
• Selected waxy hybrids demonstrated yield potential ranging from 8.4-12.7 t/ha, with specific varieties (ADAX-14, ADAX-13R, ADAX-13, ADAX-19) showing superior yield stability.
• Statistically significant differences were observed in protein, oil, starch, hectoliter, and 1000-grain weight among the tested varieties.

Conclusions:

• The in vivo maternal haploid technique is effective for rapid DH waxy maize line development.
• Identified stable waxy maize hybrids with promising yield and quality traits suitable for Turkish agriculture.
• This research lays the foundation for domestic waxy maize production, reducing import dependency.