Using Flint Maize for Developing New Hybrids: A Case Study in Romania

Maize, one of the most cultivated crops worldwide, has multiple uses, one of which is human food. Maize flour intended for human consumption is preferably produced from var. indurata. This maize variety, although it has some desirable traits, generally has a lower yield capacity. In order to obtain high-yielding hybrids that would have some traits necessary to obtain flour for human consumption, fourteen lines with dent or semi-dent grains were crossed with four inbred lines with flint grain in a cyclic system. The 56 resulting hybrids were tested in two experimental years for yield, the percentage of unlodged plants, grain dry matter at harvest, as well as other traits, such as ASI (anthesis-to-silking interval), the interval from sowing to the appearance of stigmas and to physiological maturity, and plant senescence. The maternal lines A478 and A480 were noted for transmitting higher yields. Three hybrids were identified with higher yields, good silking–flowering coincidence, stay-green, and a high unlodged plants percentage: A478 × D328, A480 × B330, and A480 × D328.