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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Breeding
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1506139
This article is part of the Research Topic Genetics and Genomics of Emerging and Multifactorial Stresses Affecting Plant Survival and Associated Plant Microbiomes View all 10 articles

Inheritance of Resistance to Maize Lethal Necrosis in Tropical Maize Inbred Lines

Provisionally accepted
Hilda M Kavai Hilda M Kavai 1,2Dan Makumbi Dan Makumbi 1*Felister Nzuve Felister Nzuve 2Woyengo Vincent Were Woyengo Vincent Were 3SURESH L. M. SURESH L. M. 1William M Muiru William M Muiru 2Manje S Gowda Manje S Gowda 1Prasanna Boddupalli Prasanna Boddupalli 1
  • 1 The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Nairobi, Kenya
  • 2 Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
  • 3 Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Non-Ruminant Research Institute, Kakamega, Kakamega, Kenya

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Maize (Zea mays L.) production in sub-Saharan Africa can be improved by using hybrids with genetic resistance to maize lethal necrosis (MLN). This study aimed to assess the general (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA), reciprocal effects, and quantitative genetic basis of MLN resistance and agronomic traits in tropical maize inbred lines. A total of 182 hybrids from a 14parent diallel, along with their parents, were evaluated under artificial MLN inoculation and rainfed conditions for 3 years in Kenya. Disease ratings at four time points, grain yield (GY), and other agronomic traits were analyzed using Griffing's Method 3 and Hayman's diallel models. Significant (P < 0.001) GCA and SCA mean squares were observed for all traits under disease conditions and most traits under rainfed conditions, highlighting the importance of both additive and non-additive genetic effects. However, additive gene action predominated for all traits.Narrow-sense heritability estimates for MLN resistance (h 2 = 0.52-0.56) indicated a strong additive genetic component. Reciprocal effects were not significant for MLN resistance, suggesting minimal maternal or cytoplasmic inheritance. Four inbred lines showed significant negative GCA effects for MLN resistance and positive GCA effects for GY under artificial MLN inoculation. Inbred lines CKL181281 and CKL182037 (GCA effects for MLN4 = -0.45 and -0.24, respectively) contained the most recessive alleles for MLN resistance. The minimum number of groups of genes involved in MLN resistance was estimated to be three. Breeding strategies that emphasize GCA could effectively be used to improve MLN resistance in this germplasm.

    Keywords: Diallel, disease resistance, heritability, maize, maternal, reciprocal DTA, days to anthesis, DTS, days to silking, EPP, ears per plant, ESA, eastern and southern Africa, GCA, general combining ability, GY, grain yield, MCMV, maize chlorotic mottle virus, MLN, maize lethal necrosis

    Received: 04 Oct 2024; Accepted: 20 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kavai, Makumbi, Nzuve, Vincent Were, L. M., Muiru, Gowda and Boddupalli. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Dan Makumbi, The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Nairobi, Kenya

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