PUMMY KUMARI, NEERAJ KHAROR, DIBYENDU SETH, S. K. PAHUJA, SATPAL, G. S. DAHIYA, VENKATESH BHAT AND R. MADUSUDHANA
Forage Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
College of Agriculture, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
AICRP on Sorghum and Small Millets, ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research [Global Center of excellence on Millets (Shree Anna)], Hyderabad-500030, India
ICAR-AICRP on Sorghum and Small Millets, Forage Section, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
*(e-mail : pummy.hau@gmail.com)
(Received: 16 May 2025; Accepted: 27 September 2025)
SUMMARY
The present study was conducted to evaluate genetic variability, trait associations, and diversity among twenty-six single cut forage sorghum genotypes. Each genotype was grown in uniform plots, and observations were recorded on thirteen quantitative traits: plant height (PH), number of leaves per plant (NL), leaf length (LL), leaf breadth (LB), leaf-stem ratio (LSR), stem girth (SG), plant population (PP), total soluble solids (TSS), crude protein content (CP%), in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), hydrocyanic acid content (HCN), green fodder yield (GFY), and dry fodder yield (DFY). Significant genotypic variability was observed for most traits, notably for GFY, DFY, and PH, indicating potential for selection. Path analysis revealed that GFY had the highest positive and direct effect on DFY, while PH also contributed significantly both directly and indirectly. Cluster analysis grouped the genotypes into eleven clusters, highlighting a broad genetic base and enabling the identification of divergent parents. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that five components with eigenvalues greater than one explained 76.81% of the total variability. Traits like PH, GFY, and SG were major contributors to the observed diversity. The integration of univariate and multivariate analyses facilitated the identification of superior genotypes like SPV2809, SPV2800, CSH 40F and SPH1984 with desirable traits for biomass yield and forage quality, offering valuable insights for future breeding programs aimed at enhancing sorghum for fodder use.
Key words: Sorghum, Genetic variability, Path analysis, Cluster analysis, PCA, Biomass quality