1Horticulture Division, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Anusandhan Bhavan-II, Pusa Campus, New Delhi.
2Department of Botany, Industrial Microbiology and Bioinformatics, Janta Vedic College, Baraut, Baghpat (U.P.).
3Directorate of Maize Research, Pusa Campus, New Delhi-110 012.
4Division of Genetics, IARI, New Delhi-110 012.
* Author for correspondence: skcicar@gmail.com
Twenty cultivars of maize were assessed for their suitability for baby corn cultivation on the basis of different characteristics relevant for baby corn production relating to productivity traits, viz. flowering, as well as ear and plant characteristics (days to first cob picking, fodder etc.), during kharif 2007 and rabi 2007–08 seasons. HM 4 and HQPM 1 were found superior for most of the important productivity traits for cultivation, viz. husked cob yield per plant, HM 4(174.8g), HQPM 1 (169.9g); de-husked cob yield per plant, HM 4 (30.4g), HQPM 1 (26.0g); number of cobs picked per plant, HM 4 (3.3), HQPM 1 (2.7) and fodder yield per plant, HM 4 (522.3g), HQPM 1 (650.6g). Vivek Hybrid 17 and Vivek Hybrid 9 were found 10–14 days early for number of days to first cob picking and number of days to last cob picking compared to other cultivars. On the basis of overall characteristics, two elite hybrids HM 4 and HQPM 1 were identified for baby corn purpose. Many genotypes with specific characteristics can serve as potential genetic resources for effecting further development of new genotypes useful for baby corn improvement.
Maize cultivars, Baby corn, Productivity, Ear characteristics, Hybrids
