Sweet corn (Zea mays L.): Fresh ear yield in dependance of genotype and the environment

Abstract

Sweet corn is used as food in the milky stage of endosperm, when its kernel is tender, succulent and sweet. It is consumed in form of fresh ears, or it is industrially processed. Breeding of sweet corn has several equally important aims that are directed by the market demands and different modes of consumption. The ear yield, in sweet corn is the most important but not the only main goal of breeding. In the two year study (2013, 2014) we observed the effect of the genotype, year and their interactions on the yields of 8 sweet corn hybrids. Two of the hybrids were commercial and six were experimental hybrids. The field experiment was arranged according to the RCBD with four replications. Hybrids were harvested 23 days after pollination, i.e. silking. Average yield in 2013 was significantly higher (12.19 t ha-1) than in 2014 (11.49 t ha- 1). In 2013 it ranged from 10.21 t ha-1 for the experimental hybrid ZP 489/1su, up to 13.52 t ha-1 for the commercial hybrid ZP 355su. In 2014 the lowest yielding hybrid was ZP 485/1su (10.14 t ha-1) while the highest yielding was ZP 486/1su (13.41 t ha-1). On average those two were also the highest (13.19 t ha-1) and the lowest yielding (10.66 t ha-1) hybrids. Statistical analysis showed that the effect of genotype and the year, as well as their interactions had significant impact on the yield performances of sweet corn hybrids.

Kukuruz šećerac se koristi u mlečnoj fazi razvoja endosperma kada mu je zrno nežno, sočno i slatko. Koristi se za ishranu ljudi u svežem stanju, ili industrijski prerađen. Zahtevi tržišta i različiti načini upotrebe kukuruza šećerca usmeravaju oplemenjivače kukurza šećerca ka stvaranju ne samo visokoprinosnih hibrida. Za ovaj tip kukuruza, više nego za bilo koji drugi, veoma je bitan lep i primamljiv spoljašnji izgled klipa, sa pravilnim rasporedom zrna, a naročito su bitne organoleptičke karakteristike zrna - ukus, miris, tekstura i nežnost perikarpa. U toku dvogodišnjih ispitivanja (2013, 2014), posmatran je uticaj genotipa i spoljašnje sredine na prinos svežeg klipa kukuruza šećerca kod 8 hibrida. Dva hibrida ZP 355su i ZP 424su su komercijalni hibridi, dok je ostalih šest eksperimentalnih. Ogled je organizovan po RCBD principu u četiri ponavljanja. Berba je obavljena 23 dana nakon oprašivanja, tj. svilanja. Prosečan prinos svežeg klipa šećerca bio je značajno viši u 2013 godini (12.19 t ha-1) od prosečnog prinosa u 2014 (11.49 t ha-1). Najprinosniji hibrid 2013 godine bio je ZP 355su sa 13.52 t ha-1, dok je u 2014 najviši prinos postigao ZP 486/1su sa 13.41 t ha-1. Najniže prinose imali su ZP 489/1su (10.21 t ha-1) u 2013 i ZP 485/1su (10.14 t ha-1) u 2014 godini. Analizom varijanse utvrđeno je da efekat genotipa, godine, kao i njihova interakcija značajno utiču na prinos svežeg klipa kukuruza šećerca.