Jagdish Kumar , Sanjeev Kumar Salgotra

Department of Crop Improvement, CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalay, Palampur (HP), 176062, India
Author    Correspondence author
Maize Genomics and Genetics, 2015, Vol. 6, No. 1   doi: 10.5376/mgg.2015.06.0001
Received: 01 Apr., 2015    Accepted: 21 May, 2015    Published: 26 May, 2015

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Kumar J. and Salgotra S.K., 2015, Evaluation of maize hybrids against leaf blight (Helminthosporium maydis and H. turcicum) and brown spot diseases (Physoderma zea maydis) of maize under mid hills of North Western Himalayas, Maize Genomics and Genetics, Vol.6, No.1 1-5 (doi: 10.5376/mgg.2015.06.0001)

A line x tester set was obtained by crossing 24 inbred lines with three testers in maize. Seventy two F₁S along with twenty seven parents and one standard check were evaluated for resistance against leaf blight and leaf spot diseases under natural epiphytotic conditions at the experimental Farm of Seed Production Unit, CSKHPKV Palampur during Kharif 2004 and 2005. The ten cross combinations  viz., Line-3 x Early Composite, Line-5 x Early Composite, Line-10 x Early Composite, Line-13 x Early Composite, Line-15 x Early Composite, Line-19 x Early Composite, Line-18 x Girija, Line-5 x KH-2001, Line-18 x KH-2001 and Line-19 x KH-2001 exhibited  resistance for leaf blight and brown spot in both the years. Thus, these hybrids appear to be suitable for cultivation in maize growing areas of Himachal Pradesh where blight and brown spot are the prominent diseases. Hence it was concluded from the present study that the cross combinations Line-13 x Early Composite and Line-19 x KH-2001 showed resistance against leaf blight and spot disease of maize with desirable high specific combining ability (SCA) effects for majority of traits under studied in both the years. These hybrids should be involved in the crop improvement programmes.

Maize; Leaf blight; Brown spot diseases