ICRISAT Archival Report 2006 - The seedlings of success in the ...

Activity 6A.1.1: Selecting high biomass forage and sweet sorghum lines with tolerance to insect and foliar
diseases, and grain sorghum with tolerance to grain mold
Milestone: Ten sweet-sorghum lines with high biomass and tolerance to stem borer and foliar diseases developed
(BVSR/HCS/RPT/RS) 2007
A trial involving 30 varieties, including two checks, was conducted during the 2006 rainy season at the Agricultural
Research Station (ARS), Gangavathi, Karnataka, India to ascertain the salinity tolerance and grain yield in large
grain backgrounds. Eight varieties out-yielded the best check, ICSV 112 for grain yield and were comparable for
grain size in the saline soils (10 dSm -1 ) of ARS, Gangavathi. They will be evaluated for stalk yield, sugar content,
tolerance to stem borer, and foliar diseases in the 2007 rainy season.
To improve the stalk and stalk sugar yield, the high tillering population (ICSP-HT) was mass selected for tillering
ability, biomass, and height during the 2006 rainy season. From the population bulk, 220 male-steriles and 130
male-fertiles were selected. From SSV 74 F 3 crosses bulk, 38 male-steriles and 60 male-fertiles were selected, and
from the SSV 84 F 3 crosses, 27 male-steriles and 98 male-fertiles were selected. The C 11 population bulk
introgressed with F 3 bulks of SSV 74 and SSV 84 was constituted by mixing the seed of male-steriles and malefertiles
in a 3: 1 ratio. These will be evaluated and advanced with selection in the 2007 rainy season. Similarly, the
tall lines among them will be evaluated for tolerance to stem borer, foliar diseases, and for stalk and grain yield to be
used as sweet sorghum varieties.
Based on the evaluation of sweet sorghum restorer parents, varieties and landraces in the 2005 rainy season, 36 lines
were selected and evaluated along with the check, SSV 84 in the 2006 rainy season. Compared to the check, SSV 84
(1.8 t ha -1 ), 19 lines with a grain yield range of 4.6 to 7.1 t ha -1 (on par with the control for sugar yield) were
advanced. The performance of the selected five lines is given in Table 1.
Table 1. Performance of selected sweet sorghum restorers/varieties (at maturity stage) (ICRISAT, Patancheru,
2006 rainy season)
R-line/Variety
Days to
50%
flowering
Plant Grain
height (m) yield
(t ha -1 )
Cane
yield (t
ha -1 )
Juice
yield
(t ha -1 )
Brix reading Sugar yield based on
at maturity Brix reading and
juice yield (t ha -1 )
SP 4487-3 83 3.2 7.6 83.6 41.0 18.3 7.1
SPV 422 84 3.3 7.2 75.4 38.4 19.0 6.9
SP 4484-1 83 3.4 5.6 82.5 38.1 18.5 6.8
SSV 53 80 3.2 8.9 76.9 36.6 19.2 6.7
SP 4482-2 82 3.4 5.2 76.0 40.4 17.0 6.7
SSV 84 (Check) 83 3.0 1.8 66.4 27.6 21.0 5.3
Mean 77 3.1 6.0 58.4 27.3 17.2 4.6
CV (%) 2.33 7.78 13.24 19.40 23.10 8.25 22.33
LSD (5%) 2.88 0.38 1.26 18.17 10.11 2.28 1.63
BVS Reddy
Milestone: At least 5 sorghum lines with large grain, high grain yield, and tolerance to shoot fly for post-rainy
season adaptation developed (BVSR/HCS) 2008
In order to assess the farmers’ selections in relation to breeders selection, a trial consisting of 9 (4 farmers and 5
breeders) post-rainy season adapted sorghum lines selected from F 7 generation were evaluated at ICRISAT,
Patancheru; UAS Regional Agricultural Research Station, Bijapur; and Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola (India)
during the 2005/06 post-rainy season. Data were recorded for days to 50% flowering, plant height (m), staygreen
score on a 1 to 5 scale at harvest (where 1 = >75% green, 2 = up to 75%, 3 = 26 - 50%, 4 = 10 - 25%, and 5 = 75% lodging), grain size (g 100 -1 ), and grain yield (t ha -1 ). The CV for grain yield from Akola
was very high, and hence the data from Bijapur and ICRISAT were combined and presented here. For grain size,
data recorded at ICRISAT is presented. The mean grain yield of breeders’ selections (3.7 t ha -1 ) was marginally
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