Selection of resistant maize genotypes under salt stress and drought conditions

The variability of the characters "seedling length" and "root length" at the initial stages of plant development depended significantly on the factors "genotype", "abiotic stress" and on the interaction "genotype x stress". The effect of the factor "genotype" was at a high level for the characters "number of branches in the panicle" and "panicle length". The values of the effect of the factor "genotype" for the characters "number of rows per cob" and "number of grains per row" were at an average level. Under osmotic stress conditions only two hybrids with the maternal line L1866 had the relatively high values of the «pollen grain diameter» character. Under saline stress conditions, the effects of both the "stress" factor and the "genotype x stress" interaction were significant. The highest values of the studied character demonstrated hybrids with paternal genotypes lines B73 and W23.