Department of Forage Research, Haryana Agricultural University, Hissar
Online published on 25 January, 2012.
The objectives of the present study were to investigate use of interspecific hybridization for yield and quality in Eu-Sorghum. Heterosis of the order of 206 • 42 per cent over better check was obtained in case of green fodder yield in cross S. caudatum × S. roxburghii. For dry fodder yield, it was maximum (228-83 per cent) in case of S. durra × S. roxburghii. In general, overall best crossees for most of the eleven morphological characters studied; including green and dry fodder yeild, were S. durra × S. roxburghii, S. caudatum × S. roxburghii, S, vulgare × S. roxburghii and S. roxburghii × S. virgatum. Exploitation of these crosses is advocated.
Considering genetic architecture, both the additive and nonadditive variances were found to paly significant role and latter was more in case of yield characters. The number of dominant genes or gene groups controlling these characters ranged from one to four. The heritability estimates were found to be high for characters like days to flower, leaf length, plant height, the number of leaves; leaf breadth, NDF and tannin content. The number of tillers, stem girth and IVDMD had medium heritability, whereas others had low estimates of heritability. The results on species and species hybrids in Eu-Sorghum have been discussed in the light of their practical utility in a plant breeding programme and a suitable breeding approach for further genetic improvement in forage sorghum has been suggested.
