The association of different plant characters with drought tolerance capacity of the geno types was studied in inbred lines, open pollinated varieties, synthetics, composites and hybrids of maize. Water stress was applied for fifteen days at flowering stage. In the laboratory, samples were subjected to other screening techniques like wilting of seedlings during stress and chlorophyll disintegration at 60°C. There was a significant positive correlation between yield under stress and plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, ear number, length and girth, and 1, 000 kernel weight. Significant negative correlation was observed between yield and stomata number. Therefore, plant height, ear characters and stomata number are suggested as most reliable characters in screening for drought tolerance. Reaction of seedlings to heat and stability of chlorophyll on heating, which were found to be significantly associated with yield, can also be considered as reliable specifically while screening inbred lines. Superior genotypes can be used to evolve high yielding hybrids and synthetics and composites can be improved for drought tolerance for rainfed areas prone to frequent drought spells.
