Comparison of Agronomic and Morphologic Characters in Sorghums Having Different Cytoplasms¹

Abstract

Grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) crossesdiffering in source of their cytoplasms were compared for agronomic performance in two environments. None of the male‐sterility‐inducing cytoplasms possessed by the lines KS34 through KS39 differed significantly from the milo sterility‐inducing cytoplasm for their effects on grain yield, the primary components of yield, and most other plant characteristics. For those traits for which significance (P > 0.05) was indicated, the differences in performance were small and seemed of little practical consequence. The cytoplasms possessed by the KS lines seem to provide suitable alternatives to the milo cytoplasm for use in hybrid seed production. Comparisons of the performance of entries produced by using seven male‐sterility‐inducing cytoplasms with that of entries with nonsterility‐inducing cytoplasm often were significant (P > 0.05). Generally, the nonsterility‐inducing cytoplasm seemed associated with a slightly more vigorous and productive plant. If additional studies support this conclusion, greater emphasis for research on alternative methods of hybrid seed production in sorghum may be warranted.