Genetic progress in the UNB-2U population of popcorn  under recurrent selection in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
As part of the Universidade Estadual do Norte  Fluminense recurrent selection program of popcorn, we evaluated full-sib  families of the sixth cycle of recurrent selection and estimated genetic  progress for grain yield and expansion capacity. We assessed 200 full-sib  families for 10 agronomic traits, in a randomized block design, with two  replications within sets in two environments: Campos dos Goytacazes and  Itaocara, in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There were significant  differences for families/"sets" for all traits, indicating genetic variability  that could be exploited in future cycles. In the selection of superior  progenies, the Mulamba and Mock index gave the best gains for popping expansion  (PE) and grain yield (GY), with values of 10.97 and 15.30%, respectively, using  random economic weights. By comparing the evolution of the means obtained for  PE and GY in the cycles C(0), C(1), C(2), C(3), C(4), C(5), and predicted for C(6), a steady increase was observed for both  PE and GY, with the addition of 1.71 mL/g (R(2) = 0.93) and 192.87 kg/ha (R(2) = 0.88), respectively, in each cycle. Given the good  performance of this popcorn population in successive cycles of intrapopulation  recurrent selection, we expect that a productive variety with high expansion  capacity will soon be available for producers in the north and northwest  regions of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.
Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil.
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Ribeiro
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do Amaral Júnior
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Gonçalves
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Candido
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Silva
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Pena
D001938:Brazil; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics*