Comparison of grain yield and some related traits in maize hybrids (Zea mays L.) in Iran

In this study was evaluated different Maize cultivars including KSC706, KSC705, KSC704, KSC703, KSC647, MV527, KSC500, KSC403, KSC400, DC370, KSC260 and KSC201. Maize cultivars were sown in 2014 at the Research Institute of Animal Science and under potential conditions including recommended planting date and density and apply the potential conditions (without stress) during the growing season and harvest each cultivar at full maturity stage. In each varieties was measured important traits as a grain, biological yield and traits related to ear, Harvest Index and dry weight. Analysis of variance showed a significant difference between treatments in all of characters. Comparison of means showed that KSC703, with 19.39 and 40.11 t/ ha of grain and biological yield was the best hybrids. Also KSC260 showed highest yield between 300, 400 and 500 maturity groups. The results of correlation analysis showed that grain yield had the most correlation with biological yield (0.94), ear length (0.90) and seed weight (0.89) (P≤ 0.01). It seems that the genetic improvement have been by increasing the traits such as biological yield, ear length, grain weight, stem weight and lose weight tassel. After converting each of studied traits to the normal distribution Z (standardize with statistical method), Cluster analysis to determine the distance between genotypes through the square Euclidian distance and Ward's method based on mean of all characters, hybrids was classified into five distinct groups that this classification did not match to FAO classification.