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A diallel cross of six inbred lines of maize (Zea mays L.) from the Corn Belt of the USA and one inbred line (NZ1A) with characteristics of maize from the highlands of Mexico was grown in a cool, temperate environment. The objective was to investigate interrelationships and combining abilities of plant development traits likely to influence the time required to reach low ear moistures in the field. The traits were days to silking, days to physiological maturity, ear moisture at physiological maturity, grain filling duration and ear drying rate after physiological maturity. Grain yield and grain moisture at harvest were also considered. Differences among the hybrids of this diallel cross for ear and grain moisture at the usual harvest time were largely determined by differences in ear drying rate after physiological maturity, and not by differences in days to silking, days to physiological maturity, or in ear moisture at physiological maturity. General combining ability (GCA) effects were much larger than specific combining ability (SCA) effects for all traits. NZ1A had positive GCA effects for grain filling duration and negative GCA effects for ear moisture at physiological maturity which were outside the range of the Corn Belt lines suggesting that this line, or similar Mexican germplasm, could be useful for developing hybrids with high grain yields and low ear moistures at harvest in cool, temperate environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]