Researchers studied how different maize plants combine to produce hybrids with higher grain yield and protein content. They found that certain parent plants were better at combining for these traits, indicating the importance of non-additive gene action in hybrid performance. The hybrids LM-13 X IC-32809 and DMR-N21 X IC-32809 showed the best performance for grain yield, while BBB-B2-NBBB, TSK-194, and DMR-N21 were good combiners for protein content. Overall, the study highlights the potential of heterosis breeding to improve maize quality and yield.