Abstract:

Bio-energy sources are the terraneous plants and the hydrophytic plants composed of lignin, cellulose and some organic compounds. As a kind of bio-energy source, maize stems, mainly composed of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, have great significance for exploiting new energy, reducing environment pollution, protecting environment and enhancing integrated economy benefit to research into energy index and genetic law of the calorific value traits of maize stem and breed maize variety of high calorific value. The knowledge of genetic law can contribute to exploiting and utilizing renewable energy sources. But the research into energy index and genetic law of the calorific value traits of maize stem hasn’t been reported at home and abroad. The objectives of the research were to confirm energy index and their genetic law. The heterosis and combining ability of the calorific value characters were analyzed with 42 crosses composed of 13 maize inbred lines organized by means of NCⅡcross design. The results showed that there was distinct heterosis in the 3 traits of calorific value, cellulose content and lignin content. The heterosis of the calorific value had consanguineous correlation with the heterosis of the cellulose content and lignin content, and didn’t have correlation with the heterosis of the hemicellulose’s content. GCA variance and SCA variance both reached very prominently high level of 1%, this showed there was genetic difference in different maize inbred lines. The GCA of X178 and Ye 52106 was high in calorific value, cellulose content and lignin content and was low in hemicellulose content; The GCA of Shen137 was high in calorific value and lignin content and was at a middle level in cellulose content and was low in hemicellulose content. The SCA of Shen137×Huang C, Q319×Chang 7-2 was high in calorific value, cellulose content and lignin content, they brought about strong heterosis. The author thinks the calorific value of maize stem can be set as one main aim of maize breeding, the focus on yield and quality of maize can be changed and maize crosses of high yield high quality and high calorific value should be bred and generalized so that integrated economy benefits of maize will be enhanced.

Key words: Stem of maize, Trait of calorific value, Heterosis, Combining ability