Five cycles of intrapopulation recurrent selection in half-sib progenies of fresh corn

ABSTRACT Fresh corn is a highly appreciated vegetable in Brazil; this crop has high added value and profitability when compared to dry corn. Despite the consumer market demand for quality, cultivars are not launched every crop season and there is a small number of cultivars available to growers. This denotes a need for breeding programs focused on generating information and genotypes that can occupy this market niche. The objective of this work was to evaluate the progress of five cycles of intrapopulation recurrent selection in half-sib progenies of fresh corn, in the southwest region of Goiás. A randomized block experimental design was used, with evaluation of 64 progenies of corn half-sib progenies and selection intensity of 30% per cycle, with three replications, in the 2011-2012, 2013-2014, 2015-2016, 2017-2018, and 2020-2021 summer crop seasons. The half-sib progenies of fresh corn exhibited genetic variability through intrapopulation recurrent selection in the different selection cycles, which is still promising for further selections after five cycles, with evaluation of 64 progenies per cycle. The base population from crossings between hybrids for tropical and temperate climates showed to be promising for increasing the genetic base of fresh corn populations, with satisfactory gains over the five cycles, presenting mean heritability between the cycles of approximately 78.9% for relative chlorophyll index, 62.2% for plant height, 75.1% for ear insertion height, 70% for ear diameter, 56.6% for ear length, 71.4% for unhusked ear yield, and 71% for marketable ear yield.