Agronomic potential and indications for the genetic breeding of sweet corn local varieties carrying the sugary1 gene

ABSTRACT Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) local varieties are important gene sources for breeding programs, mainly in participatory research models. This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of seven sweet corn local varieties (2255A, 2029A, 2276A, 2514A, 3000A, 741B and 319A) carrying the sugary1 gene under homozygotic condition and two controls, at four environments [Anchieta (altitudes: 422 and 717 m), Guaraciaba (altitude: 624 m) and Florianópolis (altitude: 5 m)], in the Santa Catarina state, Brazil. The varieties 3000A and 319A showed a good performance in the different altitudes for ear and grain length and ear yield. At intermediate altitudes (422 and 624 m), the mean husked ear yield (milky grain) of these varieties were close to 12.5 t ha-1 (3000A) and 10.0 t ha-1 (319A). The varieties 2029A, 741B, 2514A, 2276A and 2255A stood out for ear length and diameter, number of ear rows and grain length. The best performance of the sweet corn local varieties was observed in their region of origin, mainly at altitudes ranging from 400 to 650 m. These varieties are adapted to the region and are promising alternatives to be used in breeding programs focused on finding a greater potential variability for selection purposes.