Potensi Hasil Jagung (Zea mays L.) Calon Hibrida Harapan Baru di Kota Pariaman, Sumatera Barat

Abstract

The development of high-yielding maize hybrids requires yield potential evaluation to identify promising genotypes for further breeding and selection. This study aimed to evaluate three promising maize hybrid candidates (HUA15, HUA16, and HUA18) in Pariaman City to determine their agronomic performance, yield components, and yield potential as a basis for selection toward multilocation testing. The research was conducted in the lowland area of Pariaman City from July to November 2025 using six genotypes, consisting of three test hybrids and three national check varieties (P32, Sukmaraga, and BISI 18). Observed parameters included vegetative agronomic traits, yield components, and yield potential. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Fisher's Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at the 5% significance level when significant genotype effects were detected. The results showed that most vegetative characters did not differ significantly among genotypes, indicating a dominant environmental effect during early growth stages. In contrast, yield components such as ear length, number of kernels per row, and grain weight contributed significantly to differences in yield potential among genotypes. HUA15 exhibited the highest yield potential among the experimental hybrids (9.15 t ha⁻¹), with no significant difference from the three check varieties. In contrast, HUA18 (8.13 t ha⁻¹) and HUA16 (7.55 t ha⁻¹) showed significantly lower yield potentials than the check varieties. These findings suggest that HUA15 should be prioritized for further multilocation evaluation, whereas HUA18 may be considered for additional assessment if supported by other desirable traits.