This study was conducted in the Experimental Farm and Germplasm Preservation Laboratory of Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Moshtohor, Benha University, and Research Station of HYTECH Seed Company, Assuit Egypt, during the successive summer and Nily seasons of 2013 and 2014. The current study was conducted using six populations design to study the nature of inheritance of some sweet corn traits. Significant genetic variance was detected for all traits in the six crosses. Highly significant negative heterotic effects for days to 50% tasselling and silking in most of the six crosses were detected. Highly significant positive heterotic effects were detected for weight of husked ears, weight of huskless ears and plant height. The results indicated that (P) values exceeded the unity in all cases. Inbreeding depression was significantly negative for number of days to 50% tasselling and silking in the six crosses. Meanwhile, significant positive inbreeding depression was detected for all crosses except plant height, total sugars, starch% in the third cross, and Beta carotene in the second cross. Significant F2 (E1) and backcrosses deviations (E2) were obtained for most traits. The additive gene effects (a) were significant for number of days to 50% silking, plant height, total sugars, starch% and Beta carotene in the six crosses, no. of days to 50% tasseling except the fourth cross and weight of husked ears except the sixth cross. High genetic coefficient of variation was detected for weight of husked ears, weight of huskless ears, starch% and Beta carotene in the six crosses. High heritability values in broad sense heritability were detected in the six crosses except weight of huskless ears. High narrow sense heritability was detected for no. of days to 50% tasseling in the fifth cross, no. of days to 50% silking in the first, second and fifth crosses and Beta carotene in the first and sixth crosses. |
