Influence of cytoplasmic male sterility on corn yield at different plant densities

This study investigates the effect of cytoplasmic male sterility on grain yield in maize hybrids. The experiment was conducted in 2024 at the Maize Research Institute – Knezha. Five sterile lines and their fertile analogs, crossed with two pollinators at different plant densities (5000 p/da and 6000 p/da), were analyzed. The results were obtained using ANOVA dispersion analysis, and the coefficient of variation (also known as Pearson's coefficient of variation) was calculated to measure the relative variability of the dataset. At all planting densities, F count > F table at the 5% and 1% significance levels, indicating that the differences between the variants were statistically significant. T-tests were applied to determine significant differences between genotypes at confidence levels of 0.1 – 0.05 – 0.01. Based on the conducted studies, we conclude that fertile analogs are more suitable for both high and low planting densities. In contrast, sterile analogs exhibit greater variability in results, making them less predictable and potentially requiring optimized growth conditions and lower planting densities. The aim of this study was to assess the statistical significance of the effect of cytoplasmic male sterility on yield at different planting densities. This analysis determines the impact of factors and their interactions on productivity. By calculating the coefficient of variation, we assessed the degree of variability in the results, which helps in understanding how different factors (such as plant type, pollinators, and planting density) influence productivity and how these variables can be optimized to achieve better results.