Abstract

The global focus on enhancing sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] for biomass-related traits is increasing due to its potential contribution to the growth and sustainability of the ethanol and biogas production chain. Heterosis has been widely used in sorghum breeding, especially in improving biomass yield using efficient crossing and selection methods. The objective of this study was to assess the heterosis potential of elite sorghum accessions. Ten hybrids were established using five reciprocal crosses of seven elite breeding accessions. The hybrids and the parental lines were significant of great variation for plant height (PH), panicle length (PL), number of leaves (NL), and stem diameter (SD). Most hybrids had high positive mid-parent heterosis for biomass-related traits, while better parental heterosis ranged from -7.90 to 31.16 for PH, 17.14 to 79.59 for PL, -39.68 to 13.20 NL, and -19.19 to 104.23% for SD. Four hybrids (P6×P4, P4×P6, P6×P5, and P5×P6) exhibited plant heights greater than the best parent (P5:322.33 cm). Reciprocal cross effects had a significant impact on PH and SD, with a wide range of -10.23 to 39.35% and -37.50 to 30.55%, respectively. The results indicated that heterosis could be come true for the characters of plant height, panicle length, and number of leaves, and stem diameter that contributes great impact on having high biomass.

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