Genetic Divergence for Grain Quality and Productivity Traits in Rabi Sorghum

The grain productivity of rabi sorghum in India is very low (750 kg/ha) compared to kharif sorghum. To enhance grain quality, productivity and shoot fly tolerance of rabi sorghum, prior information on the nature and magnitude of genetic diversity present in germplasm collection is a pre-requisite. One hundred rabi sorghum germplasm lines of diverse origin were used to estimate genetic diversity. Among the 15 quantitative traits studied, the highest contribution towards the divergence was by plant height, Days to flowering, panicle weight, panicle length, number of primaries per panicle, dead heart percentage and grain yield were also contributed towards diversity. The genotypes were grouped into 23 clusters. Clustering pattern obtained in the present study indicates that no relationship was observed between the geographical diversity and genetic diversity.