Genetic Relationship Analysis to Evaluate the Performance of Several Pure Strains and their Individual Hybrids between the RAPD-PCR Indicators in the Yield Traits of Yellow Corn (Zea mays L.)

In this study, ten genotypes (Gimbson, Saganto, DK 6050, Agr-183, ZM47W, CML494, IK58, ZP505, ZP670, and ZP197) of the yellow corn crop were used.They were introduced into half-diallel crosses.The parents and hybrid were planted in one of the farmers' fields in Kirkuk Governorate using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications.Data were recorded for the following characteristics: number of ears/plant, ears length, ear diameter, number of rows/ear, number of grains/row, number of grains/ear, weight of 300 grains, and yield of individual plant.The genotypes (parents), (hybrid), and (parents and hybrid) were significant at the level of probability (1%) for all the studied traits; and they were superior in terms of the number of ears/plant, ear diameter (cm), number of grains/row, and grain yield per plant (g).Moreover, the hybrid (28) surpassed concerning the characteristic of ear length (cm); and the hybrid (68) outperformed in the characteristic of several rows/ear and the number of grains/ear.Furthermore, the hybrid (38) achieved superiority regarding the trait weighing 300 grains (gm).In addition, the values of additive genetic variation were more significant than the dominance genetic variation in all traits.However, the values of environmental variation were less than those of additive and dominance variation for all the studied traits.Additionally, regarding variation and genetics, the value of all traits increased in comparison to the values of environmental variance.On the other hand, the values of phenotypic variance increased in all traits in comparison to genetic and environmental variances.In the present study, 15 primers were used; some of them showed complementary sequences on the DNA genotypes.The used primers contained specialized (distinctive) bands for some genotypes included in the study, such as strains ZP-301, ZP-707, UN44052, SH, and hybrids (ZP-301X IK8), (OH40 X IK8), (SH X IK8), (UN44052 X ZP-301), and (OH40 X ZP-707).The hybrid showed the parental bundles as well as the new non-parental bundles.Thus, the RAPD technique has proven its efficiency in studying the purity of hybrids, being an easy and fast technology.