<p>Genetic analysis was carried out on spotted stem borer <i>Chilo partellus</i> resistance and yield attributes with eight parents having differential level of resistance against <i>C. partellus</i> using diallel mating design (Griffings method-II, model-I) in maize. The combining ability studies on leaf injury rating (LIR) in 1–9 scale and dead heart percentage (DH%) revealed the parents DMRE-63, Saf91 × 2#-7 and Bio-688 and the hybrids BML-6 × Bio-688, CM-139 × PFSR-46, CM-139 × BML-6, BML-6 × Saf91 × 2#-7 and PFSR-46 × DMRE-63 were exhibited significant negative <i>gca</i> and <i>sca</i> effects respectively for both the traits. Considering <i>C. partellus</i> resistance traits and yield attributes, Bio-688 and BML-6 × Bio-688 were among the best parent and hybrid respectively. The χ² test for goodness of fit revealed that F₂ population of cross BML-6 × DMRE-63 (Susceptible × Resistance) segregated in 3 resistant: 1 susceptible ratio when the LIR score is categorized into 1–5 as resistance and 6–9 as susceptible, which indicated that the resistance in the resistant parent was governed by the dominant gene for LIR. However, the normal distribution of F₂ population supported the quantitative inheritance of the trait. The inconsistency in the inheritance of LIR suggests that further verification through the F₃ population is needed for confirmation and validation. The resistance lines and good combiners identified in this study may be used as donors for introgression in backcross breeding and line development after validation, and the elite hybrids identified may be exploited as commercial hybrids or advanced for the isolation of transgressive segregants or homozygous lines.</p>