Evaluation of Striga-Resistant Early Maize Hybrids and Test Locations under Striga-infested and Striga-Free Environments

Emergence of several seed companies in the West Africa sub-region during the last decade has necessitated intensified efforts towards hybrid development and extensive testing. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate selected Striga-resistant maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids for grain yield and stability of performance based on multiple traits. Thirty Striga-resistant single–cross maize hybrids plus two checks were evaluated under artificial Striga infestation and Striga-free conditions at 2 locations in Nigeria in 2008 and 2009. The two test locations possessed high discriminating ability. More promising genotypes were identified under Striga infestation based on multiple traits than based on yield per se, suggesting that grain yield alone is not a precise predictor of Striga resistance. Based on both biplot analyses, TZEI12 x TZEI25 was identified as the most outstanding in performance under both research conditions. Furthermore, TZEI11 x TZEI127 and TZEI80 x TZEI2B were identified as the most outstanding under Striga-infested conditions and TZEI60 x TZEI87 under Striga-free conditions by the two biplot methods. The hybrids with outstanding performance should undergo extensive multilocational testing and promotion for adoption for commercial production.