Genetic variation among Turkish Maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids for tolerance to chilling stress

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a tropical crop and chilling temperatures (below 15 ºC) cause growth retardation and yield losses. The development of chilling-tolerant maize varieties is one of the goals of plant breeders growing maize in cool climates. Hybrids are more vigorous than their parents, including being more tolerant to diverse stresses. However, stress screening is a problematic. This study aims to evaluate chilling stress tolerance of Turkish maize hybrids and to determine suitable indicators for selecting the most tolerant hybrid. Nine hybrids were subjected to low night-time temperatures following germination until the third leaf was fully enlarged. Hybrids were evaluated at the morphological, cellular and physiological levels by comparison with control seedlings. The data were subjected to kinematic analysis and statistical tools. The findings showed that all indicators differed significantly among the hybrids. Indicators such as leaf elongation rate, mature cell length and cell production increase our understanding of stress tolerance by establishing connections between phenotype and cellular functions. Shoot fresh and dry weight emerged useful indicators for revealing association between growth and the physiological stress response of seedlings. In conclusion, this study identified beneficial indicators for breeding studies at early seedling screening of maize hybrids exhibiting genetic variation in terms of chilling stress tolerance.

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