Received: 15-11-2021 / Accepted: 05-07-2022
This study aimed to develop and select elite anthocyanin-rich fruit corn lines for hybrid fruit corn breeding which can eat fresh without processing. Two strategies were applied viz, (i) backcross between purple waxy corn and white sweet corn, and (ii) mass selection from F2population crossed between purple waxy corn and yellow sweet corn based on morphological markers such as dark purple color and shrunken kernels. Two superior lines viz, UV10 from the first strategy and TD05 from the second strategy were selected. These lines had thin pericarp (35.2µm in UV10 line and 31.4µm in TD05), high sweetness with Brix of 17.4% in UV10 and 22.5% in TD05, and high anthocyanin content (139.9 mg/100g in UV10, and 136.9 mg/100g in TD05).Anthocyanin-rich fruit corn hybrids could be generated from a cross between purple sweet corn inbred lines and white sweet corn or with yellow sweet corn lines. Purple color in seed coat is a dominant trait and inherited to the F1generation. The marketable yield and quality of the purple sweet corn hybrids were comparable to yellow sweet corn SW1011 and predominated to purple waxy corn Fancy111, indicating the commercial potential.