GENETIC DIVERSITY AND STUDIES ON NUTRACEUTICAL IMPORTANCE IN WHITE AND BROWN FINGER MILLET (Eleusine coracana (L.))
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Date
2022-08-17
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guntur
Abstract
The present investigation entitled “Genetic diversity and studies on
nutraceutical importance in white and brown finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.))”
was conducted during Kharif, 2020 at Agricultural College Farm, Bapatla, Andhra
Pradesh. Morphological characterization and genetic divergence studies were
undertaken with 64 genotypes of finger millet including three checks using square
lattice design with two replications. Morphological characterization revealed the
existence of sufficient variability for the characters studied. Majority of genotypes
exhibited erect growth habit, absence of plant pigmentation, presence of culm
branching, semicompact earhead shape, absence of finger branching, absence of
multiple whorl, absence of spikelet discontinuity, dark green glume colour and light
brown colour seeds. Analysis of variance revealed the existence of significant
difference among the genotypes for all traits studied. Based on per se performance, the
brown seeded genotypes, namely, IC0477628, IC0477211-X, IC0477272, IC0477680
and white seeded genotypes, namely, VR1034 and VR1029 were observed to be
superior for yield and yield contributing characters.
Moderate to high variability and high heritability accompanied with high
genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for days to 50% flowering, plant
height, flag leaf blade length, flag leaf blade width, productive tillers per plant, fingers
per earhead, finger length, finger width, earhead length, peduncle length, test weight,
harvest index, grain yield per plant, seed protein content, seed calcium content, seed
phosphorus content, seed iron content, seed zinc content, seed copper content, seed
manganese content, tannin content and antioxidant activity indicating the predominance
of additive gene action and effectiveness of direct phenotypic selection for
improvement of the traits.
The character association studies revealed grain yield per plant to be
significantly and positively correlated with plant height, flag leaf blade length,
productive tillers per plant, fingers per earhead, finger length, finger width, earhead
length, harvest index and test weight, indicating scope for simultaneous improvement
of the traits and grain yield per plant.
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Path analysis revealed significant positive associations and positive direct
effects for productive tillers per plant, fingers per earhead, finger length, finger width,
earhead length, harvest index and test weight indicating the importance of these traits
as effective selection criteria for yield improvement. The residual effect for path
analysis was 0.277 and 0.211 at phenotypic and genotypic levels respectively,
indicating that the characters included in the present study explained 73 and 79 percent
of variability at phenotypic and genotypic levels respectively on the dependent variable,
namely grain yield.
In D2 analysis, based on intra and inter cluster distance, maximum inter cluster
distance was observed between cluster Ⅳ, with white seeded genotype and cluster Ⅵ
which consisted of brown seeded genotype indicating wide difference in performance
of white and brown seeded genotypes especially in terms of nutritional and quality
aspects and hybridization between genotypes from cluster Ⅳ and Ⅵ is suggested to
obtain transgressive segregants
Principal component analysis identified the maximum contributing variables
i.e., grain yield per plant, harvest index, fingers per earhead, test weight, peduncle
length, seed protein content and seed calcium content in first principal component. PCA
scores of 64 genotypes (including three checks) were plotted in graph to get 2D and 3D
scatter diagrams and from the diagram it was observed that genotypes IC0477628,
IC0476988, IC0477206, VR1034, IC473950 and IC0477272 are diverse for yield and
quality traits and hence hybridization between these genotypes is suggested for
generating transgressive segregants.
In Ward’s method, it was observed that maximum inter cluster distance was
between cluster III, which consisted of brown seeded genotype and Ⅶ, which
consisted of white seeded genotype. In both D2 analysis and Ward’s method separate
cluster formation was observed between white seeded and brown seeded genotypes.
Highest inter cluster distance was observed between cluster of white seeded genotypes
and cluster of brown seeded genotypes.
In the present investigation, by considering per se performance and all the three
divergence methods brown seeded genotypes such as IC0477628, IC0477211-X,
IC0477272, IC0477680 and white seeded genotypes such as VR1034 and VR1029 are
identified for yield improvement programmes. Further white seeded genotypes such as
VR1016, VR1023, VR939, VR942, IC474231, IC473948 and VR950 are
recommended in breeding programmes for biofortification as they recorded superiority
for all nutritional traits studied compared to the brown seeded genotypes. Brown seeded
genotypes such as IC0477680, IC0477628, IC0476988, IC0477014, IC0477211-X
recorded high tannin and antioxidant activity on par with check variety Sri Chaitanya
and hence can be used to develop varieties with potential health benefits.
Crossing between brown seeded genotypes, IC0477628, IC0477272,
IC0477680, IC0477211-X, IC0476988, IC0477014 and white seeded genotypes,
VR1034, VR1029, VR1016, VR1023, VR939, VR942, IC474231, IC473948 and
VR950 is recommended for obtaining transgressive segregants for yield and quality
traits. It was observed that simultaneous selection for yield and quality traits may not
be possible and balanced selection criteria should be followed depending on the
objective.
Description
GENETIC DIVERSITY AND STUDIES
ON NUTRACEUTICAL
IMPORTANCE IN WHITE AND
BROWN FINGER MILLET
(Eleusine coracana (L.))