Evaluation of $, Maize (Zea mays L.) Families at Seedling Stage under Drought Conditions Syed Sadagat Mehdi Nadeem Ahmad and Muhammad Ahsan Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan Boars gy agent a Tareas ware Toone song 5 Hale AT frcept cry tool weigh hich was nonsignificant smeng treatments, Trestments = 5, fansies interstion was found sion for fresh shoot weight, ary shoot weight and iresh shoot length. The vakis of cost Trash shoot weight was found to higher than lresh root welght, dry root welght and dry shoot weight. roadsense herabty eximate naroranging between 64.27-83. 89 percent for ndieatea seeding tals. Positive and ine onships that ery root weight may be more useful aaection| jon estimates and postive i fore suggested on the basis of brond-sense heritability {ntera, wile selecting fer superar S, maize families Tor water stress condans. Kovwords: Selection cfteia seedings, maize, crovaht Introduction ‘Maize \22a/™ays Ls being used a food and as an Important mart feddar gran alana and in mute in the county ‘conditions, n evr of it inereasing importance, improvement ‘on maize has picked coneiderabie attention f Pakistan and father countries af the wotld (Hunter, 1080; Han, 1082; Pratad ne Singh 1950, Ble snd Pail, 1985; Russel, 1265: hats, 1088" Dai ot af, 1690; Krlov and Naidonov, 1990; Woll t al, 1993. Nas, 1886; Ay fal, 1808" Hussain ‘Ahean and Mabe, 2000: Maha sn Ansan 2000) The canal {ystem of Paatan is ranked srnong the best system ofthe ‘rat stil vast ract of land pra solely dependent on ain Consequently, ep plants of such atess ate exposed & ‘exreme oni aciors and experiences frequent water {tress during their growing period ‘Gensraty, In arable agriculture, drought describes a condition Innfieh avalable salmoiature reduced fo point when plant rowh iz seversly allected (Osmansai ef af. 1907) The problem of moisture stress can be solved erher by proving Supplemental iigaien to ciop in rainfed afess or by along auch genie which can produce Moher and {supplemental ngaton snot feasible snd reitic for Patan ‘due to economic reasons. Merelere development of drought Tolerant cultivars le the best way ta cape wth the dought scant study nas therefor, conducted to obrerve the cileranceein the, maze Tari in response to tought Materials and Methods ‘The experiment wes conducted in the gresnhouse of Gepartmant of Pint Breeding and Ganetis, Unversity o Agriculture, Faissabad on Februsy 25, 2000. The ‘experimental material comprised of BOS mase farmer ‘erie after one oyele of recurrent selection programene of the Fodder Research Project of Pakistan Sclance Foundation Islamabad. The S, fales ier evaluated for seeding tlle ‘under water teas conditions: Twvive seeds of each S, maize {arly were sovm in iron trays filed with sun died river sand \eaping row to row and panto plant distances of 8 and 30.8 om, repectvey Randomaed camplete back design wos used ‘oth twee vestments (nema, 50 and 75 percent stvess| and ‘0 replications, The esperment was harvested after thes wees of planting and data were recerded Tor tresh shoot Tangth fem), tran foat langth em), rash shoo! vinight (gh tnd resnrootweight ing). Fresh samples wore dred at 60°C {for 72 hours in an slecrc oven ang then dry shoot and root veoh img] wore recorded, Data were anelyeed by using the ‘mays cl valance technique (Stal ana Ter, 1980) simple Tinea ecreltion cetficients were aso estimated using the method af Kawn and Torrie (1964), Thereafter peclee Cocficent of variation and brosd sense hertabilty were so Getatied for each ictented Wat Roculte and Diecustion Mean squares from the analysis of valance |Table 1 fr al Indested seeding tals revealed highly significant efferences {© = 0.01) among 5, maze Iamlies and treatments, Dry root ‘neight wae found tobe highly significant among S fame, but nonsignificant among teatments Maid ea. 11896) bterved agnlfeant differences for root length, ehoct length tage under water ste conetions, Musasin (1989) a0 Feported significant ciferences among some seeding alts \Weerathivor of 11982) Tound thet maze seedings we Alert significantly for dry root and dry shoot reeight under ‘water stress conditions, Treatment % femlies interaction ‘was significant for resh shoot weigh, dy shoot weight ana leosh shoot length (Table 1) ‘The values of coelficient of variation (Table 2} were foune mle for frch rook and shoot langth (12 86 and 14,63 % respectively). However the values af cosfcient of varition {CV% for rash shoot weight, ean oat weight, ery shoot weight and ery root weight were (18.21, 33.73, 2273 ane 20.02 % respectively). Sinlary Mohot and Ahsan (16091 Feporiad high values of Cv’ [ee for Iresh shoot wlght st seeing ste. Mohd snd Asan (2000) slo repariea higher ‘ales of coefficent of variation | ot rth shoot weigh lroah root weight, dry sheot wight and ty root weight Mode'ate broad-senze hertbily estimates (Table 2) were {euné for ireah shoot length (85.4 %), fresh root length (64.27%), Fashshool wight (65.1591 and dry shoot weight {69,08 %), but highor broad: sense hartabilty were found for Iran and dry root weight (76.68 and 83.09 % respectively) Hussain (1888) reported sigifeanty higher broad-sonse heii y estimates fr fresh roc length, ech root weightAhmad et a.: Evaluation of S; meize Zea meys L.) fers st seedlings stage under drought conditions Table 1, Mean squates from the a Jo of vatlance foe some indicated seeding tials in maize under drought conditions Sr "a Tresh shoot Fresh oct” Fresh shoot Fresh root DryShoat Dry root Roeser toss gea7a™ Teg 7ea6 Stfamiln(F) 49 g.63a"* Bare 32761 217607" 1220" 9392" Treatments T] 2 121438" 121.027 etsea53"* Ga0oae8"* —52238"* 3607 Ener 143208. 346 4020 42300 320 ed NS = nenaigniieant = icant at 6 andT percent probabil Tava especialy Table 2: Posted means Lstandard devistion, coatlcents of varstion{CV') and broad-tense heritality estimates for some insicated seeding rss in maize under drought consitions, iz Mesns Standard deuston we == Freenthootiongtm Tees tae Tees sere Fresh root ength 14472188 1288 54275 Fresh shoot weight 381 2560.43 1.21 Pay Dryshoct weight '48.20210.98 2273 e985 Dryroot weight 133.42 38.72 20.02 23.00%, Zable 3 Linear covelation cosltcients for some insted seeding tals in maize under cought conditions Tat Freeh Fresh Freeh Fresh By Shostlength __rostlength__ shoot weight__roct weight __root weight Fre roat enath ‘Oaga" Fresh root eight 0.642" o.aer"* o.se4" Dry shot weight e160" ozsar* onze 608" = Significant av 1 We probabiiy Teva land fresh shoot weight. ut Mehdi and Ahsan (2000) found Dal LY. 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