HETEROSIS FOR YIELD AND ITS COMPONENTS IN SORGHUM HYBRIDS DEVELOPED BETWEEN WILD AND EXOTIC SORGHUM IN WESTERN KENYA
Keywords:
Average heterosis, heterobeltiosis, sorghum, Sorghum wild relatives.Abstract
Hybrid breeding facilitates the development of high-yielding cultivars relative to one or both parents across a wider range of crops which is key to meeting future food demands. This study was conducted to determine the magnitude of hybrid vigour (heterosis) for selected traits in sorghum crosses. A total of 7 improved sorghum varieties obtained from Rongo University sorghum breeding program together with 7 sorghum wild relatives (SWRs) obtained from ICRISAT-Mali were crossed using North Carolina Mating design II. A total of 9 successful hybrid crosses together with their parents were evaluated at Kibos Research Station in Kisumu County in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Each entry was sown in a single row plot of 4 m length with a uniform spacing of 60 x 15 cm. Phenotypic data was collected throughout the growing period as per IPGRI, (1993) descriptors for sorghum on 15 randomly selected plants. The low number of crosses obtained was attributed to the partial incompatibilities between the SWRs and cultivated sorghum. Results showed high heterosis among the crosses for most of the selected traits. Heterosis for grain yield ranged from -31.48% to 194.27% and -49.39% to 137.89% for mid and better parent, respectively while for days to 50% Flowering, Average Heterosis ranged between -8.86% and 4.04% and that of better parent ranging from -6.49% to 7.46%. The best grain yield per plant heterotic cross combination identified was (RUC26 X 586) which expressed high positive heterosis over both mid and better parent (194.27% and 137.89%, respectively). This cross also showed significant positive average heterosis and heterobeltiosis for yield-contributing components. Likewise, RUMUK 154 X 586 was identified as the most promising cross combination recording -8.86% average heterosis and -6.49% heterobeltiosis in the case of days to 50% flowering. The negative average heterosis and heterobeltiosis expressed in this cross showed that it was very early maturing, a trait for escaping terminal drought in rainfed agriculture, characteristic of the Kenyan cultivation system. The results illustrate the potential of improving sorghum yield potential using Sorghum wild relatives.
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