Assessment of Mean Performance and Genetic Variability in Maize Single Crosses

Assessment of Mean Performance and Genetic Variability in Maize Single Crosses | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Assessment of Mean Performance and Genetic Variability in Maize Single Crosses Abenezer Abebe Tefera This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7491243/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 19 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Maize is the stable crop critical for ensuring food security in Africa, yet its productivity remains limited by low-yielding varieties, biotic and abiotic stresses. This study evaluated mean performance, genetic variability, heritability, and genetic advance in maize single crosses. Fifty genotypes, including 48 F 1 crosses derived from 24 inbred lines and two testers, plus two commercial checks, were evaluated at Ambo and Holeta using an alpha lattice design with two replications. Combined analysis of variance revealed a significant genetic difference (p ≤ 0.01) among genotypes for all studied traits except for plant aspect. The location x genotype interaction was significant for grain yield, plant height, ear height, ear diameter, and thousand-kernel weight, indicating that the performance of hybrids for these traits varied across the tested environment. Crosses L23 x T1 (10.17 t/ha) and L11 x T1 (9.5 t/ha) outperformed the commercial checks. Genetic variability analysis showed moderate GCV and PCV for ear height, while grain yield, ear per plant, and ear aspect exhibited medium variability, suggesting sufficient variability for these traits. Broad sense heritability ranged from low to very high across traits, with ear height showing high heritability and genetic advance as the present mean (GAM), indicating additive gene action and scope for subsequent genetic improvement. The results of this study suggest that traits such as ear height, plant height, and grain yield can be effectively improved through phenotypic selection. The identified superior crosses provide promising materials for developing high-yielding, stable maize hybrids for Ethiopian highlands. Maize Genetic variability Heritability Genetic advances Single cross Selection Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 09 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 29 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 26 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 25 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 23 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 23 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Oct, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 29 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 26 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 13 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 13 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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