Maize production in short-season environments has at least two critical problems. Firstly, maize grown in short-season areas has lower leaf area indices (LAI) than maize grown in long season areas, due to shorter plant stature and less time for development, which results in reduced leaf number and size. Secondly, in very short-season areas the seasonal thermal-time available may be insufficient to mature grain of current maize hybrids. Therefore development of maize types that accumulate leaf area and mature quickly would increase production of maize in mid- to short-season areas. The leafy (Lfy1) and reduced-stature (rd1) genes make contributions to this end. However, these two genes have not previously been combined. From 1991 to 1993, field experiments were conducted to evaluate the leafy reduced-stature (LRS) inbred lines and hybrids for yield, maturity times and morphological traits, at different planting densities and patterns in Montreal and Ottawa. LRS maize inbred lines showed the most rapid silk extrusion, optimum leaf area development, and rapid growth of the first ear, the highest yield per unit leaf area, and the closest synchronization of pollen shed and silk extrusion at high plant population densities. LRS maize hybrids had the most rapid leaf development, longest grain filling period, lowest grain moisture content at harvest, and highest harvest index. Therefore LRS hybrids should allow an extension into shorter season areas where it can not now be successfully cultivated, and may increase yields in mid- to short season areas where maize is now produced.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.39966 |
| Date | January 1995 |
| Creators | Modarres Sanavy, S. A. M. (Seyed Ali Mohammad) |
| Contributors | Smith, Donald L. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Plant Science.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001487645, proquestno: NN12438, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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