Assessing inbred-hybrid relationships for developing drought-tolerant provitamin A-quality protein maize hybrids.

Drought-tolerant early-maturing maize ( L.) inbred lines with high levels of provitamin A (PVA) and quality protein (QPM) are urgently needed for development of superior hybrids to mitigate malnutrition and to intensify maize production and productivity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study was designed to identify early-maturing inbred lines with combined tolerance to drought, elevated tryptophan, and PVA contents; to examine inbred-hybrid relationships for tryptophan and PVA accumulation; and to select hybrids with outstanding grain yield (GY) performance.

Phenotypic characterization and validation of provitamin A functional genes in early maturing provitamin A-quality protein maize () inbred lines.

The number of drought and low-N tolerant hybrids with elevated levels of provitamin A (PVA) in sub-Saharan Africa could increase when PVA genes are optimized and validated for developed drought and low-N tolerant inbred lines. This study aimed to (a) determine the levels of drought and low-N tolerance, and PVA concentrations in early maturing PVA-quality protein maize (QPM) inbred lines, and (b) identify lines harbouring the and genes as sources of favourable alleles of PVA. Seventy early maturing PVA-QPM inbreds were evaluated under drought, low-N and optimal environments in Nigeria for two years.