GENETIC DIVERSITY IN SWEET CORN (Zea mays L. saccharata) CULTIVARS EVALUATED BY AGRONOMIC TRAITS

doi:10.12816/ejpb.2019.256692

GENETIC DIVERSITY IN SWEET CORN (Zea mays L. saccharata) CULTIVARS EVALUATED BY AGRONOMIC TRAITS

Document Type : Original research

10.12816/ejpb.2019.256692

Abstract

That is why custodians of gene banks characterize their resources, noting the selected traits of consent. In this study, diversity among 11 sweet corn cultivars was studied in Erzurum, Turkey during the 2017 cropping season to characterize them based on agronomic capacity, twenty two traits were analysed using correlation and regression analysis, Principle Component Analyses (PCA) and cluster analysis. The results showed positive and significant correlation of the yield of marketable ear (YME) with ear diameter (ED) and the number of marketable ears (NME) whereas negatively and significantly correlated with the 1000 kernel weight (TKW). Fresh kernel yield (FKY) was positive and highly significantly correlated with the ear yield (EY), ear length (EL), number of kernels per row (NK/R) and the number of kernels per ear (NK/E) while it was negative and highly significantly correlated with plant height (PH), first ear height (FEH), ear weight (EW) and the number of kernel rows per ear (NKR/E). Total soluble solids (TSS) content showed negative and significant correlation with green mass yield (GMY) and (NK/R). Stepwise regression showed that an increase of (TKW) traits leads to the reduction of the (YME) and (FKY). The minimum and maximum heritability observed from the traits moisture content (7.69%) and first ear height (95.82%), in this study (YME) and (FKY) heritability was 88.76 and 85.24%, respectively. For better understanding of the relationships, similarities and dissimilarities among the morphological and agronomic trait indicators of 11 genotypes, a principal component analysis was used. The first, second, third and fourth principal components explained, respectively, 37.92, 22.70, 15.61 and 12.03% of the total variance in all traits. Cluster analysis based on traits classified the genotypes into four groups. Cluster I consisted of (Kompozit Seker and BATE Tatli varieties), cluster I consisted of (Overland, Baron F₁, SHY1036 and Febris varieties), cluster III (Signet variety), cluster IV (Tanem F1-Challenger-Khan F1-Argos varieties), respectively.

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