Validating superior maize hybrids in all India coordinated trials using REMATTOOL-R: a decision support approach

Area of Science:

• * Agricultural Science
• * Plant Breeding
• * Data Science

Background:

• * Maize hybrid advancement relies on multi-environment trials (METs) integrating grain yield, maturity, and agronomic performance.
• * Interpreting large MET datasets is complex, time-consuming, and subjective, necessitating objective decision-support tools.
• * The All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Maize seeks to improve hybrid evaluation through advanced analytical methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To evaluate the effectiveness of REMATTOOL-R in validating the AICRP on Maize's hybrid advancement framework.
• * To assess REMATTOOL-R's capability for objective and reproducible decision-making in maize breeding.
• * To determine if REMATTOOL-R can facilitate simultaneous evaluation of grain yield, maturity, and adaptation traits.

Main Methods:

• * Analyzed multi-environment trial data from the National Initial Varietal Trial (NIVT)-Late (Kharif 2020-21) across five locations in India.
• * Utilized REMATTOOL-R to integrate grain yield with days to 50% anthesis, grain moisture at harvest, and harvested plant stand.
• * Employed least-square means from mixed-model analysis to identify hybrids with ≥5% grain yield superiority over the standard check, ensuring comparable maturity and agronomic performance.

Main Results:

• * REMATTOOL-R enabled rapid visualization and integrated assessment of multiple agronomic traits for objective hybrid identification.
• * Five experimental hybrids (PM 21109L, R8050, PM 21111L, BIO 978, DKC 9226) showed ≥5% higher grain yield than the standard check (Bio 9682) with comparable maturity and stand.
• * All five identified hybrids were officially advanced by AICRP, with three progressing to further testing cycles, confirming REMATTOOL-R's reliability.

Conclusions:

• * REMATTOOL-R offers an efficient, transparent, and reproducible framework for evaluating maize hybrids in METs.
• * The tool complements existing AICRP procedures, reducing subjectivity in advancement decisions.
• * REMATTOOL-R is a valuable decision-support tool for coordinated maize breeding programs and large-scale hybrid evaluation systems.