Marker Assisted Quality Protein Maize Breeding

Striga asiatica is one of the leading causes of yield losses in maize. Breeding maize for resistance is the most cost effective technique of controlling Striga asiatica. Knowledge of the combining ability of genotypes in breeding is required to enable the identification of best parents that give rise to superior progeny when crossed for S. asiatica resistance. A study was carried out at the University of Zimbabwe to develop hybrids with resistance to Striga asiatica by the mechanism of low germination stimulant production. The objective of this study was to examine the combining ability of eight inbred lines from IITA, bred for S. hermonthica resistance, and three adapted CIMMYT genotypes as well as to identify S. asiatica resistant hybrids which support low germination percentages of S. asiatica.