Germplasm collection – valuable resources of variability  for plant and ear traits in maize breeding

Roxana E. CĂLUGĂR; Carmen D. VANA; Andrei VARGA; Loredana A. CECLAN; Nicolae TRITEAN; Alexandru B. GHEȚE

doi:10.15835/nbha51213141

Authors

Roxana E. CĂLUGĂR Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda, Agriculturii 27, 401100 Turda (RO) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9015-0528
Carmen D. VANA Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda, Agriculturii 27, 401100 Turda (RO) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9065-0028
Andrei VARGA Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda, Agriculturii 27, 401100 Turda (RO) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9653-4848
Loredana A. CECLAN Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda, Agriculturii 27, 401100 Turda (RO) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5997-565X
Nicolae TRITEAN Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda, Agriculturii 27, 401100 Turda (RO) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0610-2230
Alexandru B. GHEȚE University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Technical Sciences and Soil Sciences, 3-5 Mănăstur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca (RO) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7260-4044

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha51213141

Keywords:

breeding, germplasm, inbred lines, maize, variability

Abstract

Maize is one of the most important crops, both worldwide and in Romania, and preserving the diversity of the biological material used in the breeding of this plant is of particular importance. The Agricultural Research and Development Station (ARDS) Turda, Romania, inbred lines collection includes both its own genotypes and some obtained as a result of germplasm exchanges with other institutions in the country or abroad. In the present study, 575 lines created at Turda were analysed regarding some traits of the plant (plant height, ear height, total number of leaves, number of tassel branches) and the ear (ear length and weight, number of kernel rows and number of kernels/row). The biological material used in this study shows a great diversity: a medium or high variability coefficient was identified for several of the traits analysed (number of tassel branches, ear height, ear height). Frequency histograms were made for the studied lines, for plant and ear traits. A great variability also was observed in the colours of the anther and silk, but also for kernel type and colour and cob colour.

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