CIMMYT Releases Five Stress-Tolerant Maize Inbred Lines

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 22, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) officially released five newly developed maize inbred lines, designated CML661A through CML665B. These materials were developed by the research team of the center's Global Maize Program Asian Breeding Hub and are primarily adapted to tropical rainfed maize production environments, possessing various breeding traits such as drought tolerance, heat tolerance, and resistance to pests and diseases. The relevant germplasm materials are available to public and private breeding institutions worldwide and can serve as parental materials for the development of new hybrid maize varieties.

The inbred lines released this time possess different stress-tolerant characteristics. Among them, CML661A combines drought tolerance and fall armyworm tolerance, with orange flint-type kernels and good seed production yield, making it suitable for use as a female parent in hybrid breeding; CML662B has good general combining ability and has produced several well-performing hybrid combinations in regional trials, and can be used as either a male or female parent. Both inbred lines are adapted to tropical rainfed environments and can be crossed with designated maize germplasm materials for breeding.

The other three inbred lines focus on heat tolerance and disease resistance. CML663B possesses heat tolerance and exhibits moderate resistance to Fusarium ear rot and stalk rot, and has already been used as a parent of hybrid maize varieties such as CAH204 and CAH219, of which CAH219 has been released in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and China. CML664A combines high yield potential, heat tolerance, and foliar disease resistance; CML665B possesses heat tolerance, drought tolerance, and foliar disease resistance, and has been used in the licensed hybrid maize variety CAH205.

All five inbred lines have completed evaluations of hybrid combination performance, stress adaptation, and parental use value, and have been classified into Group A and Group B according to heterotic groups. CIMMYT has also released information on the pedigree, main agronomic traits, hybrid combining ability, and adaptation environments of each inbred line. Public and private breeding institutions worldwide may apply to the center's germplasm bank for small quantities of seed under the Standard Material Transfer Agreement for subsequent hybrid breeding and germplasm improvement research.