COMPARATIVE EVALUATION AND CORRELATION ESTIMATES FOR GRAIN YIELD AND QUALITY ATTRIBUTES IN MAIZE

A set of 10 elite maize genotypes/populations was evaluated for grain yield and quality attributes. Analysis of variance for the characters under study revealed highly significant differences among the genotypes. The fatty acids detected from grain oil showed significant variability among the genotypes. The quality attributes in most of the cases showed negative genotypic and phenotypic correlation except grain oil contents which was positively correlated at the genotypic level while grain starch contents and lauric acid were positively correlated with grain yield per plant both at the genotypic and phenotypic levels. DP 3062 was found high yielding while Waxy had more oil, protein, sugar, lauric and linoleic acid as compared to other genotypes. It is inferred that DP 3062 and Waxy may be exploited in maize breeding for quality improvement.