HIGH-EFFICIENCY ZEA MAYS L. BREEDING METHOD BASED ON INDIVIDUAL PLANT EVALUATION AND GENOME-WIDE SELECTION (GWS)

A high-efficiency Zea mays L. breeding method based on individual plant evaluation and genome-wide selection (GWS) includes: S1. in a first cropping season, pollinating a Zea mays L. female parent with multiple male parents; S2. in a second cropping season, subjecting hybrid seeds to single-seed sowing, conducting individual plant selection, and evaluating target traits; S3. identifying a parent of a selected cross combination; S4. subjecting a target trait of a cross combination to genome-wide prediction; S5. selecting an excellent cross combination according to a predicted target trait; and S6. subjecting the selected excellent cross combination directly to variety registration or to further evaluation. The high-efficiency Zea mays L. breeding method provided by the present disclosure greatly reduces a quantity of cross combination seeds obtained in the first cropping season and a planting scale of the cross combinations in the second cropping season, and effectively reduces the breeding cost.