Inbreeding depression and genetic variability of populations for green maize production 1

Growing demand for product quality has generated interest in some companies in serving the market through development of maize cultivars specifically for unripe/green consumption, as maize cultivars are generally developed for dry grain production (Pereira Filho, 2002). [...]new cultivars are being developed, driven by high price on the market (Coan et al., 2018). The aim of this study was to estimate inbreeding depression and the components of mean and variance of characters associated with green maize production and quality in three populations of different genetic basis, to evaluate the potential of these populations for breeding. The number of plants that produced seeds coming from the self-fertilizations varied among the populations. [...]the ears from the self-fertilized plants were harvested from each population, forming the S1 progenies. The following variables were evaluated: a) Agronomic: ear weight with straw (t ha-1) and breakage and lodging (%) were performed for the total of plants per plot; female flowering (days), male flowering (days), plant height (cm), ear height (cm) and relative position of the ear were measured in five plants with five ears in each plot. b) Ear quality: grain mass (kg ha-1), ear weight without straw (kg ha-1), ear length without straw (cm), ear diameter (cm), ear straw production (scoring scale), kernel alignment on the ear (scoring scale), and grain color (scoring scale).