Heritability and Interrelationships of Grain‐Protein Content with Other Agronomic Traits of Sorghum1

Abstract

Forty grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) hybrids were produced by crossing each of 4 cytoplasmic male‐sterile lines with 10 diverse restorer lines. The parents and their hybrids were grown at four locations in 1972. Characters studied included protein percentage, grain yield, days to 50% bloom, height, panicle exsertion, leaf area, panicles per pl,ant, kernel weight, and test weight.Location significantly affected all characters except test weight in the hybrid populations. The genetic variance was significant for all characters measured. The specific combining ability, estimated by the male) ✕ female interaction, was significant for protein percentage, days to 50% bloom, height, panicle exsertion, panicles per plant, kernel weight, and test weight.Heritability estimates were calculated from variance components and midparent‐offspring correlation. High heritability estimates were obtained from correlations for protein percentage, height, and panicles per plant; medium heritability estimates were obtained for yield and kernel weight; and low heritability estimates were obtained for day to 50% bloom, panicle exsertion, leaf area, and test weight. Heritability estimates for all characters were high when calculated from variance components.