Selection indexes for agronomic and chemical traits in segregating sweet corn populations

ABSTRACT In the sweet corn breeding, the selection of superior genotypes should consider many traits simultaneously. The best strategy to select traits simultaneously is through selection indexes. This study aimed to compare the efficiency of different selection indexes based on characteristics with direct effect on grain yield in segregating sweet corn populations. Eighteen traits were evaluated in eight sweet corn genotypes on generation F3. Data were submitted to analyses of variance and path coefficient analyses. We compared the direct and indirect selection and the following indexes: base, classical, desired gains and genotype-ideotype distance. According to path coefficient analyses, the traits which showed a direct effect about grain yield (GY) were stand, number of ears, ear diameter, number of grains per row and industrial yield, which composed the indexes. The base index provided the greatest total genetic gain, desired gains on all traits, uniform distribution of the gains and considerable gains on GY.