• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.67 no.4
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• pp.265-273
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• 2022

Waxy corn (Zea mays L.), which contains homozygous mutant alleles for the waxy1 (wx1) gene, is widely consumed as a snack food in Asia. This study evaluated sixteen agronomic characteristics of inbred Korean waxy corn lines to aid development of high-quality waxy corn cultivars. The plant materials studied were 177 inbred waxy corn lines developed by the National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea. For the tested lines, days to tasseling and silking averaged 77.69±2.22 days (with a range of 56-97 days), and 81.12±7.56 days (66-99 days), respectively. Plant length ranged from 88 to 237 cm (averaged 164.88±22.67 cm), ear length averaged 11.75±2.52 cm (5.0-18.5 cm), and ear width averaged 2.94±0.68 cm (1.4-4.5 cm). The number of rows on each ear of corn averaged 12.22±2.22 (7-32 rows) and the kernel number averaged 24.30±4.22 (9-37 kernels) per row. The crude protein content was 12.05±1.53% (8.90-21.80%) and total starch content was 69.27±5.74% (49.5-83.9%). Principal component analysis revealed that ear width, grain length, ear length, days to tasseling, days to silking, percentage of ear setting height, and total starch are features that allow distinction between the 177 waxy inbred corn lines. Hierarchical cluster analysis identified twelve waxy inbred lines that produce tall plants and have a short silking period. These lines may improve yield among quickly growing corn varieties.