Preliminary Analysis on Key Agronomic Traits Relating to Biomass and Quality of Silage Maize

Twenty-nine silage maize lines with different agronomic traits were used as parents to produce 54 hybrids by random crossing for this study.Correlation and path coefficient analyses were performed.The results showed that the straw yield,stem diameter,seed yield,node number,plant height,ear height and bract number were determined to be the key agronomic traits affecting the biomass of the silage maize.A regression equation on biomass of the maize was established.The result of the preliminary correlation analysis between biomass-related agronomic traits and quality attributes indicated that selection based on the biomass-related agronomic traits did not significantly affect the resultant maize quality,but breeding based on the straw yield-related agronomic traits reduced CP and improved NDF,as well as ADF.Therefore,in breeding new varieties of maize,considerations should be given on balancing the straw yield reduction and seed yield improvement in order to arrive at desirable high yield and good quality for the new crop variety.