Summary
The magnitude of heterosis was examined in relation to genetic divergence among 10 parents in a 10 × 10 diallel cross of maize. The 10 parents (varieties) were selected on the basis of multivariate analysis of quantitative characters using Mahalanobis' D2-statistic from a lot of 64 varieties of maize belonging to different geograshical regions of the world. The magnitude of heterosis for grain yield and its components was found to be higher with moderate (intermediate) parential diversity than with extreme ones. The results indicated that not only the genetic diversity but the high per se performance with respect to specific characters of interest should be taken into consideration also while selecting parents for hybridization.
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Prasad, S.K., Singh, T.P. Heterosis in relation to genetic divergence in maize (Zea mays L.). Euphytica 35, 919–924 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00028600
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00028600