GENETIC ANALYSIS IN FORAGE SORGHUM [SORGHUM BICOLOR (L.)MOENCH]
D. P. RATHOD1, R. A. GAMI, R. M. CHAUHAN, K. G. KUGASHIYA AND R. N. PATEL
1Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar (Gujarat)
2Sorghum Research Station, S. D. Agricultural University, Deesa-385 535 (Gujarat)
3&4 Department of Seed Technology, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar (Gujarat)
5Potato Research Station, S.D. Agricultural University, Deesa-385 535 (Gujarat)
*(e-mail : ramangami@gmail.com)
(Received : 11 October 2019; Accepted : 28 December 2019)
The experiment in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] was carried to study gene action and combining ability of 27 hybrids were generated by L × T fashion during early summer, 2018 at Sorghum Research Station, SDAU, Deesa. The 27 hybrids along with 12 parents and two standard checks (GJ 39 and CSH 30) were evaluated in randomized block design with three replications at Sorghum Research Station, SDAU, Deesa (Gujarat) during kharif, 2018. The ratio of σ2gca/σ2sca being more than unity was found for days to flowering, stem girth and leaf width which suggested greater role of additive genetic variance in the inheritance of these traits. Based on the gca effect, the parents DS 173, DS 156 and DS 155 were good general combiners for green fodder yield per plant and the parent DS 137, DS 149 and DS 155 were found good general combiners for grain yield per plant.. The hybrids 7A × DS 161, 296A × DS 137 and 7A × DS 149 for grain yield per plant and 296A × DS 161, 7A × DS 156 and 2219A × DS 155 for green fodder yield per plant were the most promising hybrids on the basis of significant positive sca effect. These crosses also exhibited positive significant sca effect for other contributing traits viz., plant height, leaf length, leaf: stem ratio, dry fodder yield per plant and protein content. Thus these hybrid showing significant sca effect can directly used for hybrid breeding programme.
Key words:L × T analysis, gene action, combining ability, green fodder yield, grain yield