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Fusarium verticillioides causes Fusarium ear rot (FER) in maize (Zea mays L.), thus reducing grain quality, yield, and contaminates grains with fumonisins. Grain infection by these fungi occurs before harvest and selection of parental lines resistant to fumonisin accumulation for breeding purposes is the most effective and environmentally friendly control strategy for F. verticillioides. This study intended to evaluate F-1 hybrids and F-2 breeding populations in Kenya for improved resistance to FER and fumonisin contamination. Trials were artificially inoculated and FER severity, F. verticillioides accumulation, and fumonisin contamination were determined. Inheritance of resistance was also determined in the F-1 hybrids. CML444 x MIRTC5, R119W x CKL05015, and CML444 x CKL05015 exhibited little to no FER and had the least fungal and fumonisin contamination, respectively. Inbred lines CML495, CKL05015, and P502 had negative, significant general combining ability (GCA) estimates for F. verticillioides colonization and fumonisin contamination, but positive, significant GCA estimates for 1,000-kernel weight, respectively. The genotype x environment interaction was the main source of variation observed in the F-2 populations with R119W x CKL05015 and CML444 x CKL05015 being the most tolerant to fungal and fumonisin contamination in Kiboko and MIRTC5 x CML495 the most tolerant in Katumani.

We acknowledge the MAIZE Competitive Grants Initiative, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) of Kenya, the South African Maize Trust, and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa (South Africa–Kenya Research Partnership Program Bilateral; RPPB13102856988) for funding this research.

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