RECURRENT SELECTION FOR INCREASING OIL CONTENT IN COMITECO CORN

Abstract

Corns (Zea mays L.) varieties with higher oil content are a good alternative for the food industry due to their high energetic value. However, commercial varieties with this characteristic do not yet exist in México. The objective of this work was to increase the oil content in the ‘Teopisca-A’ variety through half-sib recurrent selection. The initial oil and protein content from 200 families (C₀) was determined in 2004 and, individual seeds with the highest oil content from the best 50 families, were planted the following year in an isolated lot for recombination, using the proportion four female-rows by two male-rows, the latter as pollinator, formed by a composite of the same 50 families. Two selection cycles were carried out. Some ear and grain characteristics and of oil and protein contents were compared to the original population to observe the differential selection tendency. Results indicated that the original means of ear length and diameter, grains per ear, grain weight and oil content were increased (P ≤ 0.05) whereas protein content diminished through the selection cycles.