Screening for days to Flowering and Photo Insensitivity in Vigna mungo

Abstract

Earliness and photo insensitivity is a crucial factor for accommodation of crops in different cropping systems across different agro ecological zones. In the current study we used a core set of 98 genotypes consisting of germplasm as well as released varieties of blackgram to screen it for its response to photoperiodism. Data on days to first flowering and days to fifty percent flowering (DFF) was noted for the individual lines in all the three seasons (Kharif, late kharif, and zaid). An absolute mean difference for days to flowering in all possible combinations and mean of all absolute mean differences were calculated. The core set of genotypes display a huge difference in days to flowering, and thus their differential response to photoperiodism. The set of genotypes were further categorized into early, medium and late flowering according to the mean number of days required for flowering. A total of 32 early, 21 medium, and 2 late flowering lines were identified and were common across both season and years. Similarly, 13 photoperiod insensitive and 8 photoperiod sensitive lines were identified for further validation and studies.