Combining Ability and Heterosis of QPM Hybrids for Yield, Qualitative and Quantitative Traits under Heat stress in Different Environments

With increasing climate change relates to rise in mercury causing heat stress in maize. Heat stress tolerance has appeared to be one of the foremost trait to overcome this situation. Relative magnitude of variances depicted additive and non-additive gene action for the expression of these characters were more extrusive for all the traits studied. GCA and SCA both showed huge collaboration with climate for all the characteristics. Parents NBPGR-36548 (P4), VL-153237 (P5) and BHU QPM-2 (P2) were found to be good general combiners for grain yield per plant, chlorophyll content, oil content and starch content. Indicating that they could be good parental lines in hybridization programs. The scope of heterosis communicated by various crosses was from 0.71 % (P2 X P6) to 45.11% (P5 X P6) in E1, from 0.42% (P1 X P7) to 5.69% (P1 X P8) in E2 and 18.92% (P4 X P8) in E3. The better performing five crosses P5 X P7, P5 X P6, P4 X P8, P5 X P9 and P4 X P5. Crosses between good x average, average x average and good x good shows greater economic heterosis and exhibited high SCA effects for yield under HS. These best Hybrids showed no side effects of leaf firing, tassel blast, root lodging and no severe loss of yield in the present investigation. These crosses additionally should be assessed further multi location in enormous scope.