Genetic variability and heritability studies in rabi sorghum drought tolerant genotypes

The present study was conducted to assess genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for grain yield and its component characters in 16 drought tolerant germplasm of rabi sorghum aimed at improving grain yield under moisture deficit condition at sorghum Research Station, Parbhani during rabi 2012. Results revealed that the leaf dry weight (26.19 g), seed vigor (22.45), stem dry weight (17.20 g), panicle dry weight (17.12 g), grain yield / plant (13.98 g), and total biomass / plant (13.60 g) exhibited high to moderate genotypic coefficient of variation. The high estimates of heritability in broad sense were observed for days to 50 % flowering (97.30), stem dry weight (93.60 g), days to physiological maturity (93.50) panicle dry weight (92.70 g), total biomass (92.9), leaf dry weight (89.00), SCMR (88.20), 1000 grain weight (81.8), grain yield (80.40) and plant height (0.62). The highest value of expected genetic advance, expressed as per cent of mean was obtained for leaf dry weight (65.25), stem dry weight (43.95), panicle dry weight (43.53), grain yield (33.12), total biomass (34.61) and seed vigor (32.53). High heritability coupled with high genetic advance and high GCV were observed for grain yield, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, panicle weight and total biomass and SCMR indicating that these characters are controlled by additive gene action.