Evaluation of Combining Ability of Hibrid Maize in Diallel Crosses Under Low Nitrogen and High Plant Density Conditions
Evaluasi Daya Gabung Jagung Hibrida pada Persilangan Dialel dalam Kondisi Nitrogen Rendah dan Kepadatan Tanaman Tinggi
Abstract
The development of diallel hybrids is a widely used plant breeding approach for generating superior genetic combinations. This study aimed to evaluate the general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) of maize inbred lines through diallel crosses under low-nitrogen conditions and high plant population density. The research was conducted in 2023 at the Experimental Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University, Moncongloe, as well as in Bajeng and Ponorogo, Indonesia. Hybrids were developed using a partial half-diallel mating design involving 13 advanced inbred lines with upright and semi-upright leaf architecture, resulting in 78 hybrid combinations. The hybrids were evaluated under four environmental conditions, including normal conditions in Ponorogo, normal conditions in Bajeng, low nitrogen conditions in Bajeng, and high plant density conditions in Bajeng. Analysis of variance revealed that location, genotype, GCA, SCA, and genotype × environment interactions significantly affected grain yield. HDMT52 exhibited consistently high positive GCA effects across all testing environments, followed by AVLN118 and Mpop27. Hybrid combinations 6 × 3, 14 × 4, and 12 × 5 showed positive SCA effects accompanied by high grain yield, indicating their potential as promising hybrid candidates, whereas combinations 5 × 3 and 13 × 8 produced negative SCA effects and lower grain yield. The results demonstrate that hybrids with positive SCA effects possess superior adaptability under low nitrogen and high plant density conditions, making them valuable genetic resources for developing high-yielding and stress-adaptive maize hybrids.
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