Quality protein maize (QPM) combining the enhanced levels of
lysine and tryptophan with high grain yield and desirable agronomic traits could
reduce food insecurity and malnutrition in West and Central Africa. Twenty-two
varieties of QPM and two local checks were evaluated for agronomic
characteristics and nutritional qualities in the southern Guinea savanna of Nigeria
for two years (2009 and 2010). Though crude protein levels are good indicators of
quality, amino acid composition analyses, especially lysine and tryptophan that
would provide a final proof are in progress. The genotypes comprised five open
pollinated varieties (OPVs), nine inbred lines, eight hybrids and two local varieties.
Differences among the varieties were significant (P<0.01) for grain yield, days to
tasselling as well as plant and ear heights, while year x variety interaction was only
significant (P<0.05) for days to tasselling. Most of the QPM inbred lines (CML
437, CML 490 CML 178) and hybrids (Dada-ba, ART98-SW5-OB, ART98-SW4-
OB and TZPB-OB) have superior performance for grain yield, other yield
attributes and nutritional qualities compared with the OPVs and local checks.
These inbreds could be potential sources of favorable alleles useful for future
maize breeding, while the hybrids could be evaluated in different environments of
Nigeria for comparative advantages in different environments and quality of the
grains to be released to farmers.
Key words: crude protein, inbred lines, open pollinated varieties, hybrid
