| CA | Combining ability |
| CIMMYT | International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center |
| FAW | Fall armyworm |
| GCA | General combining ability |
| IITA | International Institute of Tropical Agriculture |
| MLN | Maize lethal necrosis |
| MSV | Maize streak virus |
| N | Nitrogen |
| NCII | North Carolina II |
| OPVs | Open-pollinated varieties |
| PICOTS | Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes, Time, and Settings |
| QTL | Quantitative trait loci |
| RCBD | Randomized complete block design |
| SCA | Specific combining ability |
| SSA | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| WACCI | West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement |