Genetic variability, heritability and correlation of quantitative traits in little millet genotypes

Abstract

Little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth. ex. Roem. and Schultz.) is one of the small millets which is known for its nutritional value. Crop improvement is possible through exploitation of variability present in the population and understanding heritability of various traits. Hence, the present investigation was undertaken to study the genetic variability, heritability and correlation of grain yield and yield related traits. Analysis of Variance of 30 little millet genotypes revealed significant variation for all the traits studied. Grain yield recorded genotypic coefficient of variation of 23.52, while phenotypic coefficient of variation was 26.61 q/ha. Heritability ranged from 0.67 (plant height) to 0.99 (days to 50% flowering, days to maturity), while heritability for yield was 0.78. Number of tillers per plant, panicle length and fodder yield were observed to be highly and positively associated with grain yield. The present findings indicate the presence of large variability and high heritability for yield and other related traits which can be exploited for little millet improvement.