Agronomic characteristics of maize inbreds with Tillers and their hybrids

In order to develop maize hybrids with tillers, two tillering maize inbreds, IK2 and IK3, were developed in addition to IK1 formerly reported. The lines were developed by ear-to-row selection method and self-fertilization of maize populations grown in Korea. IK2 was derived by selfing the F₁ between a tillering maize line from Korea and an inbred line, B68, from the U. S. A. One of the criteria for plant selection was the number of tillers per plant. After eight generations of selfing, IK2 and IK3 were considered fixed in producing two to three tillers per plant under ordinary plant spacing. Each tiller of the two inbreds had at least one harvestable ear. IK2 has more upright tillering habit than IK3. The IK2 and IK3 were evaluated as parents for tillering hybrids for three years and they performed well for producing more dry weight than single-stalked hybrid because of its large tillers, but the single-stalked hybrid had a higher grain content than the multi-tillered hybrids. The F₁ between IK2 and IK3 produced very uniform number of tillers per plant. F₁s, between the inbreds showed positive values of heterosis for plant height, tillers per plant, ear height, ears per plant, kernel weight per plant, 100-kernel weight, dry weight and for kernel yield per 10a.