Mean performance of maize (Zea mays) genotypes under non stress conditions

Maize is an important cereal crop in India and will treble by 2050 as a result of its extensive use in developing nations. In Himachal Pradesh, it is widely grown as it is a rich source of carbohydrates and starch which are main components of a balanced diet. As the increasing demand and the changing climate pose a huge threat for food security, it is very important to develop and study new cultivars that perform better than the previously existing varieties. The following experiment was laid down at the research farm of the School of Agriculture, Abhilashi University (H.P.), the experiment was carried out in the Kharif season of 2023. In terms of agriculture, the trial site represents Zone II, the mid-hill region of Himachal Pradesh. It has a hot, sub-humid tropical environment with a high mean annual rainfall of roughly 1876 mm. In this experiment total 20 genotypes were sourced from CSKHPKV Plamapur which included 17 accessions and 3 checks namely BMJHQM-1, BAJHQM-2, VL-892. The experiment was laid down in RBD design and the analysis of variance revealed a significant mean sum of square for different genotypes for each of the ten traits examined which were days to 50% flowering, days to 50% tassaling, plant height, ear height, number of leaves per plant, number of kernels per row, cob length, 100 kernel weight, shelling percentage, and yield per plant which suggests that there was enough genetic variability and room for selection for these traits in the accessions taken for the experiment.