Combining ability, maternal and reciprocal effects for growth traits, total carotenoids and beta carotene in yellow maize (Zea mays L.)

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major public health problem in Ghana where almost 95% of the maize produced is consumed by humans. Despite efforts to improve the crop, most PVA varieties have not met the current international target of combating VAD. To improve the beta carotene content of yellow maize it expedient to understand the nature of gene action driving the performance and heritability of the trait to identify and select best performing genotypes as parents for further breeding aimed at improving the beta carotene content. Two genotypes NZER1(local landrace) and HONAMPA (PVA variety) and four PVA genotypes (DZIFO, AHOOFE, LY1203-20, LY1501-6) were planted and crossed on the field using Griffins diallel method I model I. The study revealed significant variation for total carotenoids and beta-carotene content ranging between 4.947 μg/g to 19.19μg/g with a mean of 10.91 μg/g and 1.096 μg/g to 5 μg/g with a mean of 2.062 μg/g respectively. AHOOFE and DZIFO revealed high GCA effects for beta carotene content as male parents and DZIFO and LY 15 had high GCA effects as female parents and therefore could be considered for progeny selection. High SCA effects were obtained by HON*NZE (3.516), HON*LY12 (3.333), HON*LY15 (3.442), AHO*DZI (4.224), AHO*NZE (2.465) for beta carotene. AHO*DZI, HON*LY15, DZI*LY12 had high SCA effect for total carotenoid. These parental combinations will best useful for development of hybrid varieties with improved beta carotene content.