• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.396-450
• /
• 1982

To obtain basic information on the Korean local corn lines a total of 57 lines were selected from 1,000 Korean local collection at Chungnam National University, classified by principal component analysis, and genetic nature was investigated. The results are summarized as follows. 1. There were a great variation in mean values of plant characters of the lines. The mean values of plant characters except for density of kernels varied with types of crossing. All characters except. for tasselling dates were reduced in magnitude when selfed, while those characters were increased when topcrossed. 2. The correlation coefficients among characters studied ranged front 0.99 to -0.59. The correlation coefficients among characters were not greatly changed depending upon types of crosses. 3. In order to classify the lines more effectively, selected 12 plant characters were used to classify 57 local lines by principal component analysis. The first four component could explain 86.4%, 83.4% and 81.1% of the total variations in sibbed lines, selfed lines and topcrossed lines, respectively. 4. Contribution of characters to principal component was high at upper principal components and low at lower principal components. 5. Biological meaning of the principal component and plant types corresponding to the each principal component were explained clearly by the correlation coefficient between principal components and characters. The first principal component appeared to correspond to the size of plant and ear. The second principal component appeared to correspond to the degree of differentiation in organs and the duration of vegetative growing period. But biological meaning of the third and fourth principal components was not clear. 6. The lines were classified into 4 lineal groups by the taxonomic distance. Group I included 52 lines which was 91.2% of total lines, group II 3 lines, group III 1 lines and group IV I lines, respectively. Four groups could be characterized as follows : Group I : early maturity, short-culmed, medium height plant, small ears, medium kernels and medium yielding. Group II : late maturity, medium height plant, small ears, small kernels, prolific ears and higher yielding. Group III : medium maturity, tall-culmed, small ears, small kernels and low yielding. Group IV : medium maturity, tall-calmed, large ears, one ear plant and me yielding. 7. The inbreeding depression varied with plant characters and lines. The characters such as yield, kernel weight per ear, ear weight and plant height showed great degree of inbreeding depression. Group I showed high inbreeding depression in such characters as 100 kernel weight, leaf number, plant height and days to tasselling, while group II showed high inbreeding depression in other plant characters. 8. Heterosis of plant characters varied also with lines. The ear weight, kernel weight per ear, yield, 100 kernel weight, and plant height were some of the plant characters showing high heterosis. Group II showed high values of heterosis in such characters as ear length, ear diameter, ear weight, kernel weight per ear, 100 kernel weight, and leaf length, while group I was high in heterosis in other plant characters. 9. The degree of homozgosity was highest in ear weight (79.1%) and lowest in ear number per plant (-21%). Group II showed higher degree of homozygosity than group I. 10. Correlation coefficients between characters of ribbed and topcrossed lines were positive for all characters. Highly significant. correlation coefficients between ribbed and topcrossed lines were obtained especially for characters such as ear number per plant, plant height, leaf length and yield per plot.