Registration of Gaspé Flint 1.1.1, a small-size early-flowering maize inbred line

Flowering time is one of the most important traits affecting cultivar adaptation and remains of great interest for breeders. Early flowering genetic stocks have been selected and utilized as models for scientific, breeding, and educational purposes. In this study, Gaspé Flint 1.1.1 (GF111; Reg. no. GS-11, PI 698804), a new rapid cycle, diminutive maize (Zea mays L.) inbred line, is described. GF111 was developed by repeated selfing (eight cycles) and selection starting from an open-pollinated accession of the Canadian landrace Gaspé Flint. GF111 can be grown in 1-L pots and is characterized by short stature (0.4–0.8 m), small number of leaves (8.1–9.7), two ears per plant with only one being fertilized, from zero to one tillers, early flowering (41–50 d after sowing and as little as 357 growing degree units), and very limited protandry. High-density molecular marker analysis showed a high level of homozygosity (>96%) and an approximately 30-Mb-long region shared with the maize reference line B73 on chromosome 10. Because of its high homozygosity, rapid generation cycle, easy hand-based pollination, good fertility, and limited growing requirements as to space and resources, GF111 has great potential to be used in genetic and gene functional studies, in phenotypic screenings on phenomics platforms, and for teaching activities in plant biology and breeding.