Mary Emeraghi, Innocent Iseghohi, Jacob Idohou, Kenneth C. Mkpuma, Pinawé C. Agbandou, Leonard Afouda, Pierre I. Akponikpe, Nicodeme V. Fassinou Hotegni, Antoine A. Missihoun, Happiness Oselebe and Enoch G. Achigan-Dako
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opag-2022-0370/html
Maize is the most consumed cereal in Benin but optimum production is hindered by the lack of access to high-quality seeds for intensification of the crop. This situation has led to the continued cultivation of low-yielding cultivars prone to disease infestation. The study tested the field performance and superiority of 22 topcross hybrids (THs). These THs were developed from mating two new elite maize lines bearing enhanced streak resistance with eleven cultivars adapted to Benin. The ability of the parental materials to combine well for high grain yield (GY) was estimated while the relationship between GY and other agronomic traits was assessed. The THs were evaluated across four environments in Benin. It was observed that the test environments significantly impacted GY and other agronomic traits. The good combining nature of parental materials among and between themselves is an indication of the presence of favorable genes. Four THs were superior to their parents for GY and specifically, the TH obtained when DMR ESR W was mated to TZIL07A01322, had at least a 13.3% yield advantage over its parental mean grain yield, showing potential for commercialization by indigenous seed companies. Indirect selection of THs for GY can be practiced by selecting for 100-seed weight due to the positive association of the two traits. The study found that four Benin-adapted cultivars contributed favorably to the observed superiority of the THs and could serve as potential genotypes for elite line development.
