Characterization of Phenotypic Diversity of Sorghum Collection for Developing Breeding Material

Tala Gueye

doi:10.18483/ijsci.931

Abstract

Agro-morphological characterization of sorghum collection in Senegal showed a wide range of variation, linked to traits like plant duration, plant height, and yield components. Sorghum accessions or landrace characterized by short duration, high, and low-medium yield components are the most represented in the collection. Simple correlations between variables of different types relating to phenology, vegetative growth, and yield components are very different, showing a relative independence of characters, and thus a wide phenotypic diversity. This diversity can be explained by plant duration, plant height, grain weight per foot, and the shape of the panicle. From these agro-morphological characteristics, varietal groups based on similarity were identified and accessions with interesting agro-morphological characteristics clustered. Racially diversity, dominated by Guinea, caudatum and Durra are also observed. This collection is an interesting breeding material for improving sorghum.

Highlights

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an important staple food for millions of people in tropical arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, Asia, and South America
Genetic diversity of sorghum is being threatened by various anthropic factors including habitat destruction, commercial agricultural practices, industrial activities and the wide adoption of improved cultivars (Reddy et al, 2006)
Depending on plant height from the ground to the top of the panicle, accessions can be divided into two groups (Figure 2)

Summary

Introduction

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is an important staple food for millions of people in tropical arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, Asia, and South America. Data generated during the first integration of accessions in the collection, are for the most part, unavailable This lack of information has a negative impact on the management, use, and enhancement of the genetic diversity of the collection by sorghum breeding program. Restoration and conservation of the ex-situ collections of sorghum necessarily require a good knowledge of existing diversity in the still viable material and development of appropriate and sustainable conservation strategies. It is in this context that this study has been implemented since 2009, on a

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Conclusion