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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #203426
Title: SEED QUALITY ASSURANCE IN MAIZE BREEDING PROGRAMS: TESTS TO EXPLAIN VARIATIONS IN CORN INBREDS AND POPULATIONS

Author
item GOGGI, SUSANA - ISU
item CARAGEA, PETRUTZA - ISU
item Pollak, Linda
item MCANDREWS, GINA - ISU
item DEVRIES, MINDY - ISU
item MONTGOMERY, KEVIN - IL FOUNDATION SEEDS

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/24/2007
Publication Date: 2/26/2008
Citation: Goggi, S., Caragea, P., Pollak, L.M., McAndrews, G., Devries, M., Montgomery, K. 2008. Seed quality assurance in maize breeding programs: tests to explain variations in corn inbreds and populations. Agronomy Journal. 100:337-343.

Interpretive Summary: Seed quality has a strong relationship to field emergence, thus it is a very important characteristic for farmers and for the seed companies who sell them seed. Corn breeders must ensure that the inbreds they develop lead to hybrids with good seed quality, but little is known how seed quality of inbreds affect seed quality of hybrids in which they are used. We conducted a study to see if a series of laboratory tests for seed quality and an index calculated by using the laboratory tests, used on inbreds, could be used to predict the field emergence of their resulting hybrids. We also used a statistical method to determine if the index would still be useful if fewer laboratory tests were conducted. Germination, germination under stressful conditions, and the index of the inbreds did not predict the field emergence of their resulting hybrids very well. All laboratory tests were needed to obtain a useful index, but poor performance of an inbred in some of the laboratory tests could be masked by a general good score in the index. The index, useful for finished inbreds, may not be as useful for breeders in early development of inbreds. This information is important for breeders who want to develop inbreds with good seed quality, and producers of hybrid seeds.

Technical Abstract: Maize (Zea mays L.) breeders are interested in evaluating seed quality of their inbred lines, and seed companies rigorously test the seed quality of the hybrids they produce. Seed quality has a strong relationship to field emergence. There is little information, however, on the influence of the seed quality of the inbred on seed quality and field emergence of the hybrid. The objectives of this research were 1) to determine whether the parental and F2 seed quality test results and a seed quality index can be used to predict the field emergence of the F1 hybrid, and 2) to reduce the number of tests necessary to calculate this index. For the field condition in our study, standard germination, saturated cold, soak tests, and index of the parental inbreds and F2 correlated poorly with early field emergence of the F1 hybrid. All tests were required in the calculation to obtain the information provided by the index. It is a concern, however, that the poor seed quality performance of the inbreds and F2 populations in some tests is masked by averaging all the tests into a single index. The index is useful when ranking finished inbreds based on seed quality, however, it might not be useful as a selection tool.