Title of project: Identification, characterization and utilization of source of tolerance to drought and high temperature stress in maize
Project funding: Institute
Total approved cost of the project:

Objective:

• Identification of sources of tolerance to drought and high temperature stress
• Characterization of morpho-physiological traits associated with drought and high temperature stress tolerance
• Utilization of promising lines in hybrid breeding program

Project team: Ishwar Singh, Sain Dass, ML jat and RP Singh

Major achievements:
Based on the field and control environment studies source of tolerance to following abiotic stresses identified.

• Drought: LM 14, LM 16, HKI 335, HKI 577, HKI 1532, CM 139, CML 69 and BLSB_RIL-8
• High Temperature: HKI 170 (1+2), HKI 325-17AN, HKI 335, LM 12, LM 17 and CA 14514.

Morpho-physiological traits associated with drought and high temperature stress tolerance in maize identified.

• Drought: Leaf senescence, stay green character, root length, ASI and grain yield
• Heat-stress: Leaf firing, tassel blasting, ASI, Pollen viability and grain yield

Ten experimental hybrids were developed using identified source of tolerance to drought and high temperature