Correlation Analysis Under Charcoal Rot Disease Stress Conditions in Maize (Zea mays L.)

Maize (Zea mays L.), the “Queen of cereals,” ranks third globally in production after wheat and rice and is a major food, feed, and industrial crop. The study evaluated 16 diverse maize lines at ICAR-IIMR, Ludhiana, and multi-location sites (New Delhi and Dharwad) to assess associations among yield and its contributing traits. Plant architecture, maturity, flowering, and yield-related characteristics were all documented. Plant height shown significant positive correlations with ear parameters and yield, while days to anthesis and silking were strongly linked (rp = 0.964**, rg = 0.752**) and closely associated with days to maturity. Ear length and diameter were strongly related to kernel number per row and grain weight, whereas field weight and grain weight were strongly correlated (rp = 0.979**, rg = 0.749**), indicating field weight as a good yield estimator. Strong genetic relationships between plant height, kernel rows, kernel number, and field weight indicate indirect selection for increasing charcoal-rot resistance and grain yield under stress, but phenotypic correlations were greater than genotypic ones.