Combining ability and genetic distance analysis of mid altitude sub-humid agroecology adapted maize inbred lines for high grain yield

Understanding the combining ability effects, heterosis, and genetic relationships between parental lines would be helpful in the maize breeding program to develop high-yielding and genetically stable maize varieties for various contrasting environments. Hence, the objective of this study was to estimate combining ability effects, heterosis, genetic distance (GD) and associations for grain yield and other agronomic traits. Forty-five F1 diallel crosses, four commercial checks, and ten inbred lines were evaluated at Bako and Jima Agricultural Research Centers, Ethiopia. Significant differences were observed among environments, genotypes and genotype by environment interaction for grain yield and almost all studied agronomic traits. Combining ability analysis showed both additive and non-additive gene effects significantly controlled grain yield and all other studied traits. The preponderance of general combining ability (GCA) effects indicates the importance of additive gene action inheriting most agronomic traits. Lines L2, L7, and L9 were the best combiners for grain yield, whereas lines L3 and L4 had desirable GCA values to improve days to flowering and plant height. Among the top ten crosses, L6 × L9, L6 × L7 and L4 × L9 were good specific combiners and had 18.8 %, 17.2 % and 16.2 % grain yield advantage over the best check, BH546. These hybrids also had high mid and better-parent heterosis compared with other crosses. The associations of GD with mean of F1 and SCA effects were positive and highly significant for grain yield and some other traits. In contrast, correlations of GD with mid and better parent heterosis were non-significant for grain yield and most other traits. The results of this study are particularly useful for breeders who envisage combining conventional and molecular methods.