HETEROSIS AND COMBINING ABILITY STUDIES IN SWEET SORGHUM (SORGHUM BICOLOR L.) HYBRIDS FOR GREEN FODDER YIELD AND QUALITY TRAITS
T. SOUJANYA, T. SHASHIKALA AND A. V. UMAKANTH
Department of Genetics and Plant breeding, College of Agriculture, PJTSAU
AICRP on Forage Crops, ARI, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500030.
ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad 500 030
*(e-mail : thotasoujanya66@gmail.com)
(Received : 3 January 2018; Accepted : 28 March 2018)
SUMMARY
An experiment was conducted to exploit heterosis in F1 hybrids of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and to identify parents with desirable genetic effects with respect to single-cut green fodder yield and quality traits. All the 48 F1 hybrids produced by crossing four lines and twelve testers in line x tester mating design were evaluated to assess general and specific combining ability and gene action governing the green fodder yield and quality traits. Analysis of variance revealed the presence of sufficient variation in the experimental material. The SCA variance was greater in magnitude than GCA variance for most of the characters studied, indicating the preponderance of non additive gene action for several characters. Line 185A and testers RSSV138-1, RSSV466 and RSSV404 emerged as good general combiners for single-cut green fodder yield where as PMS71A, NSSV14, SSV84 were found to be good combiners for sugar brix, ADF and NDF. Based on sca effects, 185A x RSSV466, 185A x RSSV138-1, PMS71A x RSSV138-1 and PMS71A x RSSV404 were identified as good specific combiners for green fodder yield.185A x RSSV466 recorded maximum single-cut green fodder yield with 12.53 per cent heterosis over the best check CSV30F.
Key words: Standard heterosis, combining ability, sweet sorghum, green fodder yield