Agriculture, Vol. 31 No. 2, 2025.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.18047/poljo.31.2.1
The Anthesis–Silking Interval and its Relation to Certain Yield Components in Maize Hybrids from the Mid-Early FAO Group
Valentina Valkova
; Agricultural Academy – Sofia, Maize Research Institute - Knezha, Akademik Nicola Tomov 5, 5835 Knezha, Bulgaria
*
Zhelyazko Vulchinkov
; Agricultural Academy – Sofia, Maize Research Institute - Knezha, Akademik Nicola Tomov 5, 5835 Knezha, Bulgaria
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
In the present study, variation, correlation relationships, and grouping among four agronomically important traits in maize were examined: the anthesis-silking interval (ASI), grain yield (GY), ear length (EL), and the number of rows per ear (RN). A total of 75 maize hybrids from the mid-early maturity group (FAO 400–500), tested in competitive variety trials over a three-year period (2022–24), were evaluated. The aim of the study was to assess the importance of the anthesis-silking interval and its effect on the grain yield. The results demonstrate a strongly negative impact of increased ASI (up to 5 days) on grain yield in 2024, as confirmed by both simple and multiple correlation analyses. The cluster analysis, conducted using Ward’s method and presented as a dendrogram, grouped the hybrids and provided a useful tool for evaluating the optimal combination of the studied traits within a single genotype. The selection of hybrids with a short or even negative anthesis-silking interval can be employed as an indirect method for drought tolerance selection, also known as a tandem selection.
Keywords
maize hybrids; ASI; grain yield; simple and multiple correlation; cluster analysis
Hrčak ID:
342509
URI
Publication date:
28.12.2025.
Visits: 949 *