Selection of waterlogging-tolerant maize lines using several selection indices

Abstract One of the impacts of uncertain climate change is the occurrence of flooding and waterlogging on agricultural land. To mitigate the impact on corn plants, breeding activities are necessary to develop varieties or lines that are tolerant to flooding. This research aims to conduct an initial selection of waterlogging-tolerant corn lines using selection indices for root dry weight (RDW) and root number (RN) as selection criteria. This research was conducted in the Balitsereal greenhouse in 2021, using genetic material from convergent crosses of twenty-two lines and two comparison varieties, namely MGold and JH 37. The experimental design used was completely randomized, with three replications, and ten plants were planted for each line. Flooding is conducted at the age of the plants, 10 days after planting, for 7 days. Observations of the number of roots and dry weight of the roots were carried out on 5 plants, and the rest were transplanted in the field for selfing. The research results showed that the lines G18, G2, G20, and G9 were classified as resistant to waterlogging. The selection indices MP, GMP, HM, and STI can identify tolerant genotypes in flooded and normal conditions, while SSI, YSI, and RSI will be useful if the target condition is waterlogging.