| dc.description.abstract | Maize (Zea mays), also known as corn, is the third most important cereal crop in the world, after wheat and rice. It plays a vital role in providing animal feed, and food and for industrial purposes. Double haploid (DH) maize inbred lines are vital for forage cultivar development due to several advantages they have over maize lines developed under conventional breeding methods. However, their germinability influences both yield and forage quality therefore, this study screened DH maize inbred lines to identify the best-inbred lines to be bred for the creation of commercial cultivars as forage for livestock consumption. A total of 45 genotypes from Multi-parent Advanced Generation intercrosses from a forage breeding Program of the National Livestock Resource Research Institute (NaLlRRI), Nakyesesa were used. A 9 × 5 Alpha-lattice design with two replications and three seasons was used to experiment. Germinability data required seedling emergence which could be determined by following the number of Days after Planting (DAP). Seedling phenotypic variations among the DH maize inbred lines required counting and non-destructive linear measurements. Data was collected on DH maize inbred seedlings until 30 DAP, in plots. Results showed significant differences in both germinability traits and phenotypic traits. DH maize inbred lines with the shorter mean germination time (days) include JPS-POP-DHL- 23 (1.3), JPS-POP-DHL- 29 (3), JPS-POP-DHL- 2 (3.3), and JPS-POP-DHL- 18 (3.5). Also, DH maize inbred lines with the highest average germination percentage included JPS-POP-DHL- 10 (80.2 %), JPS-POP-DHL- 13 (80.2), JPS-POP-DHL- 37 (79.2 %) and JPS-POP-DHL- 38 (79.2 %). These DH inbred lines present good potential in germinability traits for cultivar development. Significant variations in the seedling phenotypic traits were recorded across seasons. DH maize inbred lines with the highest leaf numbers were JPS-POP-DHL- 40 (5.1), JPS-POP-DHL- 42 (5.06), JPS-POP-DHL- 25 (5.02), JPS-POP-DHL- 24 (4.96), JPS-POP-DHL- 43 (4.89) and JPS-POP-DHL- 28 (4.76). These lines present good potential phenotypic traits for cultivar development. DH maize inbred lines (JPS-POP-DHL-14 and JPS-POP-DHL-28) performed high across the parameters (germination percentage, leaf area, seedling height, and leaf number). These lines are recommended as parents for crossings to improve other genotypes. | en_US |
