Resumen

HERNANDEZ, Alexander; BARRIENTOS, Venancio; CHASSAIGNE, Alberto  y  ALEZONES, Jesús. Evaluation and selection of populations and lines of corn (Zea mays L.) efficient in nitrogen assimilation. Bioagro [online]. 2003, vol.15, n.2, pp.115-120. ISSN 1316-3361.

Grain yield under stress is the main and more important character during maize germplasm selection, and the use of secondary characters improves the efficiency of this selection. The objective of this work was to evaluate and select materials with efficient use of nitrogen from the elite germoplasma of the Foundation for the Agricultural Investigation (DANAC), Yaracuy State, Venezuela. Five populations and 10 lines were evaluated (5 dent and 5 flint). The first experiment phase was carried out in the shelter in bags filled with a sandy loam soil low in nitrogen. Three nitrogen doses were applied: 200, 100 and 0 kg/ha. The treatments were organized in a split-plot design with four replications, with N levels as main plots and genotypes as subplots. For the second phase, plants were taken to the field with the same experimental design. A selection order was established in function of the largest values of biomass, grain yield, leaf nitrogen content and efficiency index of grain yield; as well as the lowest intervals for male and female bloom, and nitrogen consumption. The seven more efficient materials were CIMCALI-SA6, Nitrodent, La Posta Sequía C3, Nitroflint, PC129L-4-, Tuxpeño Sequía C8 and L25-1#1.

Palabras clave : Germplasm evaluation; aerial and root biomass; mineral nutrition.