EVALUATION OF CORN HALF SIB FAMILIES AT DIFFERENT INTER ROW SPACING

• Main Authors: PAULO ALENCAR DE ARAÚJO, VANDERLEI DA SILVA SANTOS, ODAIR BISON, JOÃO CÂNDIDO DE SOUZA
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Milho e Sorgo 2005-12-01
• Series: Revista Brasileira de Milho e Sorgo
• Subjects: Zea mays: recurrent selection; genetic breeding
• Online Access: http://rbms.cnpms.embrapa.br/index.php/ojs/article/view/162/162

In this work, 196 half-sib corn families from CMS 39 population wereevaluated at different inter row spacing with the purpose of verifying their genetic potentialin distinct sowing arrangements. The experiments were conducted in 2001/2002, at theexperimental area of UFLA‘s Biology Department, located in Lavras, Minas Gerais,Brazil. Two distinct and contiguous experiments were conducted in a 14 x 14 simplelattice design with two replications and sown in a non-tillage system. On the firstexperiment, plots were represented by single 4 m long , 50 cm spaced rows. The spacingbetween plants within rows was 40.0 cm. On the second experiment, the inter row spacing was 90.0 cm and inter plant spacing was 22.2 cm, keeping the same density of 50.000plants ha-1. The evaluated traits were husked ear weight, plant/ear height and prolificacy.Interaction row spacing x genotype was significant, indicating it is more efficient toconduct corn improvement programs at different inter row spacing for this population.The 50.0 cm inter row spacing provided the best ear weight yield and greatest prolificacy.Gains from selection for ear weight were similar at both spacings, but it is more interestingto carry out a breeding program at 50.0 cm inter row spacing, because this arrangementprovided the highest average for all the evaluated characters.