This invention provides a novel means of making maize hybrids and inbreds with expanded ear tip phenotypes for promoting increased seed yield from recessive genetic determinants. This is achieved by making standard inbred.times.hybrid as well as inbred.times.inbred crosses followed by selection in the subsequent self-pollinated generations from these plants for expanded ear tip phenotype characteristics to produce new parent inbred lines. Next, the resulting inbreds, having a different pedigree but possessing the recessive expanded ear tip genetic determinants, are crossed to cause the expanded ear tip trait to express as a homozygous recessive trait in an otherwise primarily heterozygous hybrid.