QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF POPCORN (Zea mays) CULTIVARS

Abstract

This study was carried out at Escola de Agronomia of’ Universidade Federal de Goiás in the  1992/93 agricultural year with the purpose of evaluating popcorn cultivars for Goiânia-GO region. The essay had 19 treatments on a randomized complete design block with 4 repetitions. The following cultivars were used as part of the Popcorn National Essay coordinated by CNPMS/EMBRAPA: H-16, CMS 42 C-I, CMS 42 C-II, CMS 43 C-I, CMS 43 C-II, UNB-2, PIRAPOCA EPAMIG, ZÉLIA-0l, SAM (STA. CECÍLIA), ROGO POP 1, ROGO POP 2, ROGO POP 3, MF 1001, MF 1002, GO 100-P, COLORADO POP 1, COLORADO POP 2, RS-20 and BR-440. It was evaluated plant height and first ear insertion height, sick plants percentage, ear index, final stand, grain/ha yield and popping expansion capacity index (E.C.). The H-16 cultivar presented the highest grain yield (2,928 kg/ha) but low E.C. (11.9). The triple hybrid ZÉLIA-0l had good performance with 22.1 E.C. and l,770 kg/ha. This yield was 12% higher than the pattern cultivar SAM (STA. CECÍLIA) with 1,492 kg/ha and 15.5 P.E. It was found high positive correlation among yield and female flowering date, ear index and plant and ears height. Popping expansion capacity did not present any correlation among P.E. and another studied characters.

KEY-WORDS: Zea mays; pop-corn.