CHARACTERIZATION AND GENETIC DIVERGENCE STUDIES IN INDIGENOUS FINGER MILLET [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn] GERMPLASM
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Date
2024-04-26
Authors
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Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University
Abstract
The present investigation was conducted at Agricultural Research
Station (ARS), Perumallapalle, Tirupati during kharif, 2021 to characterize
indigenous germplasm lines for DUS traits and to identify potential germplasm
lines by estimating genetic parameters (variability, heritability and genetic
advance), genetic divergence, character association and path coefficient.
Morphological characterization of 60 finger millet genotypes using
26 DUS traits highlighted the existence of sufficient variability for the
characters studied. In the present study for plant growth habit erect was
predominant, for plant pigmentation at leaf juncture, non-pigmented was
predominant, for leaf sheath pubescence, absence was predominant, for days
to 50% flowering, late duration was predominant, for glumes colour, light
green was predominant, for stem culm branching, absence was predominant,
for flag leaf blade length, long blade length was predominant, for flag leaf
blade width, narrow blade width was predominant, for peduncle length,
medium type was predominant, for ear shape, compact type was predominant,
for finger branching, absent type was predominant, for finger position of
branching, at thumb finger, was predominant, for multiple whorl, absence
was predominant, for ear head length, finger length, finger width and plant
height medium length genotypes was predominant, for character finger
number on main ear, medium number was predominant, for number of
productive tillers, low number was predominant, for seed shattering, absence
was predominant, for seed covering by glumes, enclosed was predominant,
for seed colour, light brown was predominant, for seed shape, round type was
xiv
predominant, for seed surface, smooth was predominant, for pericarp after
threshing, non-persistent type was predominant and for 1000 grain weight,
medium weight was predominant.
The analysis of variance carried out among 60 germplasm lines for
13 yield and yield attributes revealed significant differences for all the
characters indicating the presence of considerable amount of genetic
variability for the characters in the studied material.
The characters such as finger length, number of productive tillers plant-1
,
1000 grain weight, grain yield plant-1
and fodder yield plant-1
showed higher
estimates of PCV and GCV indicating ample amount of variation among
indigenous germplasm lines for these traits. Thus, direct selection for these
traits would result in further improvement of grain yield. High heritability
coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for days
to 50% flowering, peduncle length, ear head length, finger length, finger
width, number of productive tillers plant-1
, 1000 grain weight, grain yield
plant-1
and fodder yield plant-1
indicating the predominance of additive gene
action and direct selection would be effective for improvement of these traits.
D2
analysis grouped 60 germplasm lines into six clusters. Among all
the characters studied, days to 50% flowering (80.00%), 1000 grain weight
(10.51%) and fodder yield plant-1
(3.62%) contributed relatively maximum
towards the total genetic divergence. Inter cluster distance was observed
maximum between cluster II and VI followed by cluster II and IV, cluster V
and VI, cluster II and III and cluster I and VI representing that germplasm
lines belonging to these clusters are more divergent. Based on divergence
analysis, the crosses IC00622007 × IC00622057 (cluster II x cluster VI) and
IC00622007 × EN 70 (cluster II x cluster IV) could be recommended for crop
improvement.
Character association analysis revealed that the traits viz., flag leaf
blade length, finger number on main ear, finger width, number of productive
tillers plant-1
, flag leaf blade width and fodder yield plant-1 had significant
positive association with grain yield plant-1 indicating simultaneous selection
of these traits would result in improvement of grain yield.
Further, path analysis estimates in the present investigation revealed
that finger number on main ear, fodder yield plant-1
and finger width had true
relationship with grain yield plant-1 by establishing significant positive
association and high positive direct effect on grain yield plant-1
. Days to 50%
flowering exhibited negative direct effect and had negative association with
grain yield plant-1
indicating that negative association of this trait would be
more rewarding for selection of early maturing germplasm lines.
xv
Evaluation of 60 indigenous finger millet germplasm resulted in
identification of trait specific germplasm lines viz., early maturing germplasm
lines IC00622057 (1 genotype); long flag leaf blade germplasm lines
(47 genotypes); lengthy ear heads (6 genotypes), IC0478442 (13.13 cm);
lengthy fingers (19 genotypes), IC0478442 (13.10 cm); wide fingers (2 genotypes),
high finger number on main ear (9 genotypes), EN 46 (9.70 cm); tall
germplasm lines (4 genotypes), IC00622031 (135.99 cm); high 1000 grain
weight (5 genotypes), EN 70 (3.50 g), IC0478656 (3.10 g) and IC0007954
(3.05 g); high grain yield plant-1 EN 70 (19.36 g), IC0478640 (17.00 g),
IC0478543 (16.94 g); high fodder yield plant-1
, EN 70 (145.90 g),
IC00622053 (145.60 g), IC0475386 (137.40 g).
Germplasm line EN 70 exhibited superior performance when compared
with Standard varieties GPU 48, GPU 67, VL376 and PR 202.