Abstract: Incomplete diallel cross design, together with the method of combinating the characterization of population phenotypes with the identification of combining ability, were employed to investigate the breeding potential of nine synthetic populations of maize and explore the method of population synthesis. Rich genetic variation was observed within populations, and the mutation degree of economic traits was higher than that of agronomic traits, and also obvious differences in the main population traits and the general combining ability (GCA)was observed. With better major yield traits and the GCA performance than the control, together with the average advantage of the control, 06P7 and 06P8 seemed to have great potential for improvement; GP-5 of the control group, although with the higher mean of major yield traits and larger variation degree, the output of the main traits and the performance of the GCA were poor. It needed high import genetic recombination before further utilization improving; 06P2 and 06P6, with the main yield traits poor performance of GCA, were not the potential for breeding. Comparison with the results of 06P1 -06P8 small populations and large populations of GP-5 showed that a certain number of parents on the basis of the synthesis of high and low levels of populations involved in its synthesis of the pro-restructuring, as well as its pros and cons of how much more closely related.

Key words: Maize population, Genetic variation, Combining ability

CLC Number: 

• S513.01