Exploitation of Heterotic Combinations for Grain Yield and Yield Associated Components in Kharif Sorghum

An investigation was done to estimate magnitude of heterosis in sixty six hybrids (F1’s) of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) with respect to yield and its associated components using six newly developed (CGMS) lines and eleven testers. The resulted 66 hybrids and their 17 parents along with two standard checks (CSH 14 – for earliness and CSH 35 – for yield) were evaluated to assess magnitude of heterosis, heterobeltiosis and economic heterosis by using line × tester analysis at Sorghum Research Unit, Dr. P.D.K.V. Akola 444 001, Maharashtra during Kharif 2015-16. In order to indentify the high yielding kharif sorghum hybrids, promising hybrids (F1’s) were sorted out based on positive significant standard heterosis over the check CSH-35 for grain yield and fodder yield per plant along with other important associated traits. With respect to 66 crosses, total nine promising crosses exhibited significant standard heterosis along with higher mean performance for grain yield per plant i.e. ICS 751 A × AKR 530 (44.27%, 81.78 g resp.) with significant standard heterosis for fodder yield per plant (29.16%), ICS 733 A × AKR 529 (26.31%, 71.6 g resp.) along with significant positive standard heterosis for fodder yield per plant (19.15%) and 1000 seed weight (4.97%), ICS 279 A × AKR 528 (22.79%, 69.6 g resp.) along with significant positive standard heterosis for 1000 seed weight (9.07%), AKMS 103-8 x AKR 528 (22.74 %, 69.58 g resp.), AKMS 89 A x AKR 492-1 (21.57 %, 68.92 g resp.), ICS 733 A x AKR 530 ( (21.31 %, 68.77 g resp.) with significant positive standard heterosis for fodder yield per plant (18.66%), AKMS 89 A x AKR 527 (20.66 %, 68.4 g resp.), AKMS 103-8-1 A x AKR 525 (19.89 %, 67.96 g resp.) and AKMS 89 A x AKR 524 ( 17.37 %, 66.53g resp.). Similarly, one promising cross combination (ICS 279 A x AKR 528) was identified for the early days to 50 % flowering (-5.82 %) over the check CSH-14.