| Summary: | Adoption of improved maize (Zea mays L.) varieties in the
rainforest agro-ecology of Nigeria largely depends on yielding
potential and resistance to common foliar diseases. The present
study aims at assessing the combining ability of a set of adapted
and exotic drought-tolerant maize inbred lines under irrigated
and rainfed conditions in Nigeria. Ninety-six hybrids generated
using a North Carolina Design II scheme, and four checks were
evaluated in a 10 × 10 triple lattice with three replications under
full irrigation in the dry seasons of 2010 and 2011 and under
natural disease inoculation in the rainy seasons of 2011 and
2012. Hybrids differed significantly for all measured traits. Both
general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability
(SCA) were mostly highly significant (P < 0.01) for all agronomic
traits and leaf blight. Additive genetic effects were more important
than non-additive genetic effects in controlling grain yield
and leaf blight (GCA > 70%). EXL03, EXL06, EXL16, ADL33, and
ADL47 had positive and significant female and male GCA effects
for grain yield, and significant but negative GCA effects for leaf
blight.
KEYWORDS foliar
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