THE PERFORMANCE OF SEVEN ELITE MAIZE ACCESSIONS FROM DIFFERENT AFRICAN ORIGINS UNDER RAIN-FED CONDITIONS IN SOUTH-EASTERN NIGERIA

Maize is an important cereal crop, and millions of Africans rely on it as a major source of carbohydrates in their diet.  Grain yield from local maize varieties is generally low. Evaluation of different maize genotypes within a specific region is one way to identify and introduce varieties with high yield potential. This study assessed the yield and agronomic traits of 6 exotic maize accessions and a local variety to compare the performance of the exotic accessions with the local variety. The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete block design with four replications. The treatments included six exotic maize accessions, TZM386, TZM85, TZM16, TZM109, TZM392, and TZM1330, and a local variety ‘Uwep’ the result indicated that there were no significant differences in plant height and plant population at anthesis.  Grain yiel among all accessions was not greater than 0.5 t/ha in 2020 but ranged between 1-3 t/ha in 2021.  There were no significant differences in grain yield and components between the exotic and local accessions in 2021. In 2020, TZM 386 outperformed the local variety (uwep) in grain yield, ear weight, and number of ears/ha. Multiple linear regression showed a high dependence of grain yield on the growth parameter-plant height and the yield component ear no/ha in 2020 and 2021. This study has revealed differences in yield traits between the local and exotic accessions. The maize accession TZM 386 showed potential for higher grain yield and yield components and appears to be a promising candidate for further research.