Dry matter accumulation in grains at the harvesting time is one of the most faithful indicators of the growing season of maize. The paper presents the obtained results of the dry matter accumulation in maize, in the experiments fields conducted at Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda, using simple hybrids in a cyclic cross system, between 2011-2012. The goal of this paper is to identify some inbred lines that are sending a rapid dry matter accumulation in grains at the harvest time and to highlight the genic effects involved in this process. At the harvesting time, for each studied plot was determined grain moisture using GRANOMAT device. Analysis of variance for dry matter content in grains at the harvesting time indicates statistically highly significant differences between variants. Differences occurred also between experimental simple hybrids and the three control hybrids (Turda 201, Turda Favorit and PR39 D81). The effects values for the general combining capacity ranged between -0,75% and +1,43% dry matter at the inbred lines and between -0,79% and +0,72% dry matter at the testers. The effects values for the specific combining ability ranged from -0,77% to 1,07% dry matter. Among the testers inbred lines, the highest dry matter accumulation in maize grains at harvesting time, was sent by the inbred line TC 399 (80,77%); additive genic effects for this value were 0,72%, statistically significant. Among the tested inbred lines, the highest dry matter accumulation in maize grains was recorded by TE 229 (81,48%), the earliest inbred line from the experimental system. Compared with the average of experimental system, there was +1,43% in the general combining ability effects. The highest values for non-additive genic effects were recorded for hybrid combination TE 317 x TC 385A (+1,07%), followed by TE 335 x TC 399 (+0,84%). The heredity of the maize growing season involves additive gene action, but also non-additive interactions. There is a dominance of the early parental forms, simple hybrids being earlier than the parental forms. Our results indicate relatively equal influence of additive and non-additive genic effects for the determinism of dry matter accumulation in maize grains at the harvesting time.

dry matter accumulation (DMA), general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA).

Presentation: oral