Assessment of Production Supporting Characters of Hybrid Maize Candidates Under Optimal Conditions and Drought Stress

Preliminary yield tests were conducted to determine the characters of candidate hybrid maize varieties compared to other varieties. This research aimed to assess the production supporting characters of hybrid maize candidates under optimal conditions and drought stress. A simple lattice design (7x7) was used for the 49 maize genotypes, with the experiment conducted under two conditions: optimal and drought stress. Drought stress was imposed from 40 days after planting (DAP) until harvest by withholding irrigation, while optimal conditions maintained regular watering. The observed characters were ear length, ear diameter, kernel length, kernel width, kernel thickness, 1000-kernel weight, and production per hectare. Research results showed that drought stress reduced production from 7.29 tons per hectare (optimum) to 4.17 tons per hectare (under drought stress), resulting in a 42.84% decrease. The hybrid maize candidates recommended for release as hybrid maize varieties resistant to drought stress were G2, G7, G9, G27, G30, G34, G35, G37, G39, G44, and G45. The selection of eleven candidates was based on the DSI value (DSI value