Vol. 9, Special Issue 10, Part S (2025)

This research evaluates the yield and related characteristics of maize inbred lines and hybrids under drought conditions. Forty two maize genotypes were assessed for different characters, including, days to 50 percent tasselling, days to 50 percent silking, days to 75 percent dry husk, plant height, cob height, cob length, cob diameter, kernels per row, kernel rows per cob, cob weight, 100 seed weight, initial plant count, final plant count, number of ears per plot, grain yield per plant and in addition of proline as biochemical traits. Traits including cob length, cob weight, cob diameter, and number of kernels per row showed strong positive correlations and direct effects on grain yield, underlining their importance in yield enhancement. Higher PCV than GCV for most traits indicates notable environmental influence, but several traits still show sufficient genetic control to allow effective selection. High heritability of proline content and its correlation with yield confirm its utility as a physiological marker for drought tolerance in maize. This study highlights the significance of choosing appropriate maize genotypes that are able to tackle environmental challenges and guides future breeding strategies aimed at enhancing drought tolerance and stable yield performance.