Additive and Non-Additive Effects on the Control of Key Agronomic Traits in Popcorn Lines under Contrasting Phosphorus Conditions.

Phosphorus is a non-renewable natural resource that will run out of reserves in the upcoming decades, making it essential to understanding the inheritance of nutrient use efficiency for selecting superior genotypes. This study investigated the additive and non-additive effects of commercially relevant traits for the popcorn crop (grain yield-GY, popping expansion-PE, and expanded popcorn volume per hectare-PV) in different conditions of phosphorus (P) availability in two locations in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Six S lines previously selected for P use-L59, L70, and P7, efficient and responsive; and L54, L75, and L80, inefficient and non-responsive-were used as testers in crosses with 15 progenies from the fifth cycle of intrapopulation recurrent selection of UENF-14, with adaptation to the North and Northwest regions of Rio de Janeiro State.

Driving Sustainable Popcorn Breeding for Drought Tolerance in Brazil.

Drought currently affects several regions worldwide and tends to be more frequent due to climate change. It might compromise food security and the economic structure related to agribusiness. Popcorn has a crucial role in the Brazilian economy, but the cultivars that adapt to water stress, the most prejudicial abiotic stress for crop productivity, are unknown to date.

Regional Heritability Mapping of Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling Traits Related to Growth and Productivity in Popcorn ( L.).

The method of regional heritability mapping (RHM) has become an important tool in the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling traits of interest in plants. Here, RHM was first applied in a breeding population of popcorn, to identify the QTLs and candidate genes involved in grain yield, plant height, kernel popping expansion, and first ear height, as well as determining the heritability of each significant genomic region. The study population consisted of 98 S1 families derived from the 9th recurrent selection cycle (C-9) of the open-pollinated variety UENF-14, which were genetically evaluated in two environments (ENV1 and ENV2).

Phenotyping Latin American Open-Pollinated Varieties of Popcorn for Environments with Low Water Availability.

Drought is a common abiotic stress in tropical and subtropical regions that limits the growth and development of agricultural crops, mainly impacting grain yield. Acting through plant breeding is the most viable alternative for obtaining genotypes more tolerant of environments with stress. This work aims to select popcorn genotypes for environments with drought and to identify discriminating traits for the evaluation of drought tolerance in popcorn germplasm.

Comparison of Selection Traits for Effective Popcorn ( L. var. Everta) Breeding Under Water Limiting Conditions.

Climate change is expected to intensify water restriction to crops, impacting on the yield potential of crops such as popcorn. This work aimed to evaluate the performance of 10 field cultivated popcorn inbred lines during two growing seasons, under well-watered (WW) and water stressed (WS) (ψ≥ -1.5 MPa) conditions.

Relative importance of gene effects for nitrogen-use efficiency in popcorn.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of additive and non-additive genes on the efficiency of nitrogen (N) use and N responsiveness in inbred popcorn lines. The parents, hybrids and reciprocal crosses were evaluated in a 10x10 triple lattice design at two sites and two levels of N availability. To establish different N levels in the two experiments, fertilization was carried out at sowing, according to soil analysis reports.

SNP-based mixed model association of growth- and yield-related traits in popcorn.

The identification of the genes responsible for complex traits is highly promising to accelerate crop breeding, but such information is still limited for popcorn. Thus, in the present study, a mixed linear model-based association analysis (MLMA) was applied for six important popcorn traits: plant and ear height, 100-grain weight, popping expansion, grain yield and expanded popcorn volume per hectare. To this end, 196 plants of the open-pollinated popcorn population UENF-14 were sampled, selfed (S1), and then genotyped with a panel of 10,507 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) markers distributed throughout the genome.

Genetic effects on the efficiency and responsiveness to phosphorus use in popcorn as estimated by diallel analysis.

Agricultural expansion and the need for sustainable cultivation are challenges faced by researchers involved in the generation of new cultivars that can adapt to abiotic stress. Knowledge of the genetic effects of characteristics related to efficiency and responsiveness to phosphorus use must be considered when implementing methods to obtain better genotypes. The aim of this study was to characterize and select popcorn hybrids based on their efficiency and responsiveness to phosphorus use, and estimate their combining abilities and genetic effects via diallel analysis to implement improvement programs for sustainable agriculture.