Authors : V.V. Bhavsar*, S. R. Sapkal, V.S. Girase and K.K. Barhate
Page Nos : 64-73
Description :
A study was undertaken to determine the extent of genetic variability for grain yield and ten other quantitative and qualitative characters, interrelationship of these characters and cause and effect relationship of grain yield with other characters in 40 local germplasm of finger millet. High genotypic coefficient and phenotypic coefficient of variation was recorded for grain iron content followed by grain yield per plant, number of tillers per plant, number of productive tillers per plant, main earhead length, number of fingers per earhead, grain calcium content, 100 ml volume weight of grain. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was recorded in grain yield per plant, 100 ml volume, which indicated the predominance of additive gene effects. Improvement in these characters could be exercised by simple selection due to fixable additive gene effects. The grain yield per plant was positively and significantly correlated with number of tillers per plant, number of productive tillers per plant, main earhead length, number of fingers per plant. The high magnitude of direct effect of number of tillers per plant, number of productive tillers per plant, main earhead length, number of fingers per earhead along with highly significant correlation in the desirable direction towards grain yield per plant indicated the true and perfect relationship between grain yield and these characters suggesting direct selection based on these character would help in selecting the high yielding genotypes in finger millet.
