Variability parameters for yield components of different progeny types in an F3 maize population

This paper presents the investigation of F3 population 2002-30, created in the Department of Maize, Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad. At first, about 150 plants of the studied population were selfed and simultaneously crossed with the tester 1491x1496, in order to get complementary S1 and HS progenies. After the harvest, 41 progenies of each type were selected by the random sample method for the trials carried out in Aleksinac, Leskovac, and Kru evac, as three studied environments, in RCB design. Genetic variances were significantly higher in S1 progenies, with the exception of root and stalk lodged plants percent and grain number per row, where these differences were not significant. Phenotypic variances followed the same tendency. The obtained values of broad-sense heritability were significantly higher in S1 than in HS progenies. Low heritability values were calculated only for root and stalk lodged plants percent. Cluster analysis did not show any greater difference between S1 and HS progenies, neither in distances nor in group definition, although there were significant differences between them in genetic variances. However, one can see a lower degree of distances between HS progenies. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR-31054: The development of new technologies of small grains cultivation on acid soils using contemporary biotechnology]