(.GENE EFFECT OF SOME QUANTITATIVE CHARACTERS IN CORN (Zea mays L

Abstract

The aim of this investigation was to study the gene effect of diff rent characters in com especially quantitative characters in com, which includes: botanical characters i.e. plant height, ear height, leaf area of ear, silking and tasseling dates and ear husk, yield and yield components i.e. number of ears/plant, ear length, ear diameter, number of rows/ear, number ofketnelslrow, weight of 100-kemel and grain yield per plant. To achieve this target, F, and F2 of the half diallel cross between seven inbred lines namely: M.D2A (P 1), M.204A (P2), M.202A (P3), M.212E (P4), M.220J (P5 ), M.213D (P6) and M.17 (P7).

This experiment was canied out in the Experimental and Research Station at Moshtohor, Zagazig University, Kalubia Governorate, Egypt. In 1997 season, crossmg was made with all possible combinations among the seven parental inbred lines without the reciprocals and evaluated in 1998 season with three check varieties [including single cross (Giza 153), three \vays cross (Giza 352) and double cross (Amon)] in a randomized complete block design with three replications. ln 1999 saeson, two adjacent experiments were conducted; the first involved the parental inbred lines and their twenty one possible crosses and three check varieties, and the second included the parents and the F2 crosses.