Detection of epistasis through triple test cross (TTC) analysis in maize (Zea mays L.)

The present study was carried out to detect the epistasis present in two cross of maize through triple test cross (TTC) analysis. The mean squares due to total epistasis was highly significant at P?0.01 for all the characters in both C-I and C-II, except for ear length in C-I. The i type of epistasis was highly significant for the traits such as days totasseling, days to silking, earlength, ear circumference, kernels row-1,100 grain weight and shelling percentage in C-I and in C-II, ‘i’ type was non-significant for ASI, ear length, kernels row-1and grain yield plot-1. Both j type and l type of epistasis were significant for all characters in both C-I and C-II, except for ear length in C-I and days to silking in C-II. The estimate of additive genetic component (D) was highly significant for all characters in both C-I and C-II. Epistasis played a significant role in the inheritance of all the characters in both C-I and C-II except for ear length in C-I. Both additive and dominance components of genetic variance with a predominance of dominance genetic variance played an important role in the inheritance of all the quantitative traits except ear length in C-I and kernel rows ear-1 in C-II