Combined selection for productivity, adaptability, and stability in corn genotypes for baby corn production

Baby corn is the name given to the female inflorescence of corn (Zea mays L.) before fertilization, being harvested in 2-3 days after the issuance of the styles-stigmata. Currently, in Brazil, there is no specific corn cultivar for baby corn production, which leads to the use of popcorn and sweet corn cultivars because they are more accepted in the food industry. Therefore, the objective of this work was to estimate the genetic parameters and determine the efficiency of simultaneous selection based on productivity, adaptability, and stability of corn genotypes for baby corn production in the state of Esp & iacute;rito Santo, Brazil. The evaluations were conducted in 2019 on family properties in six municipalities in the state of Esp & iacute;rito Santo. Eleven corn genotypes were evaluated for baby corn production, being a double hybrid, four native varieties, and six commercial varieties. The design was randomized blocks with four repetitions each. The genetic parameters were estimated, which were obtained using the best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP), and the selection was carried out by the harmonic mean of the relative performance of genotypic values (HMRPGV). It was observed that the environments influenced the performance of the genotypes, configuring specific adaptation. The genotypes AG 1051, Alian & ccedil;a, and BR 106 presented the best performances in all the environments evaluated, considering, simultaneously, the productivity, adaptability, and stability of marketable ears. The HMRPGV method provided optimized selection of corn genotypes to produce baby corn with high productive potential, predictable behavior, and responsive to environmental stimuli. The diversification of cultivated species is a key alternative to make the activities of small farms viable. The cultivation of baby corn allows earnings four to five times greater than corn intended for grain. In Brazil, there are no specific corn cultivars to produce baby corn. The study of adaptability and stability allows selecting more productive genotypes. Genotypes with predictable behavior and responsive to environmental variations were identified.