Abstract

Eighty-eight (88) finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) germplasm collections were tested using augmented randomized complete block design at Adet Agricultural Research Station in 2008 cropping season. The objective of this study was to find out heritability, variance components, variability and genetic advance for some yield and yield related agronomic characters. Statistically significant (p<0.01) difference was observed among the genotypes tested for important characters indicating the presence of variability. A considerable amount of variability among germplasms for the traits studied also indicated the usefulness of selection for these traits in the genetic material used for future improvement in finger millet. In addition, high genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) was recorded for number tillers per plant (71.93), number of ears per plant (96.55), number of fingers per ear (85.48), finger length (94.48), biomass yield (87.67), and grain yield (78.17) and high phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was similarly recorded for number tillers per plant (30.42), number of ears per plant(45.55), number of fingers per ear (24.88), finger length (26.18), biomass yield (85.56), and grain yield (29.87). High heritability coupled with high expected genetic advance as percent of mean was obtained for number of ears per plant (96.55, 90.59%), number of finger per ear (85.48, 43.81%), finger length (94.48, 50.95%), and days to heading (96.01, 14.13%), biomass yield (87.67, 154.52%), 1000 kernel weight (93.69, 37.70%), lodging susceptibility (98.92, 384.24%) and blast severity (87.60, 89.47%) indicating that the presence of more additive gene effects for potential crop improvement and so these characters could be improved through selection. This study reveals that greater yield response could be obtained through direct selection scheme in finger millet landraces.

Key words: Eleusine coracana, finger millet, genotypic coefficient, phenotypic coefficient, variance, heritability, genetic advance, Ethiopia.

Abbreviation

Abbreviations: PH, Plant height (cm); TPP, number of tillers per plant; EPP, number of ears per plant; FL, finger length (cm); DH, days to 50% heading; DM, days to 50% maturity; BMY, biomass yield per hectare; GYPH, grain yield per hectare(kg); HI,harvest index (%); TKW, thousand kernel weight(g); LO, lodging (%); HBL, head blast severity; DF, degree of freedom; SEM, standard error of mean; CV, coefficient of variation (%); s²p, phenotypic variance; s²g, genotypic variance; PCV, phenotypic coefficient of variation; GCV, genotypic coefficient of variation; h², broad sense heritability; GA, expected genetic advance; GAM, genetic advance as percent of the mean.