Response of recurrent selection on yield, kernel oil content and fatty acid composition of subtropical maize populations

Abstract High oil maize (HOM) has been successfully achieved by a long-term breeding program. The aim of this study was to evaluate eight cycles of recurrent selection for agronomic traits and HOM content in four subtropical white and yellow maize populations and the effect of selection on yield, kernel physical properties, oil content, fatty acid (FA) profile and lipophilic antioxidant (LAOX) capacity. Through the selection cycles the agronomic traits showed a low but significant increase of grain yield and reduction in diseases. These positive changes significantly affected kernel physical properties and distribution of ground particles related to grain hardness. Oil content in kernels increased through cycles of selection and had a positive correlation ( r r  > 0.65) with LOA. This research demonstrated that it was feasible to develop high-yielding subtropical populations with HOM content and acceptable agronomic performance and grain physical properties.