Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding, 8(2): 704-707 (June 2017)

DOI: 10.5958/0975-928X.2017.00106.5
ISSN 0975-928X
Research Note
Genetic variability studies for yield and yield components in kodo millet
(Paspalum scrobiculatum L.)
V. Nirubana1*, K. Ganesamurthy1, R. Ravikesavan2 and T. Chitdeshwari3
1
Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
2
Department of Millets, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
3
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
E-mail: [email protected]

(Received: 05 Jan 2017; Revised: 05 June 2017; Accepted: 15 June 2017)

Abstract
The experimental material comprised of one hundred and three germplasm accessions of kodo millet (Paspalum
scrobiculatum L.) were evaluated to assess the genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance for fifteen yield
component traits. Analysis of variance revealed that there were significant differences among the accessions for all the traits
studied. The coefficient of variation at phenotypic (PCV) and genotypic (GCV) levels were high for Zn content, grain yield
per plant, Fe content, number of productive tillers and thumb length. Broad sense heritability ranged from 54.18 per cent for
length of the longest raceme to 97.30 per cent for days to 50 per cent flowering. High heritability coupled with high genetic
advance as per cent of mean was observed for plant height, number of basal tillers, number of productive tillers, flag leaf
width, inflorescence length, thumb length, Zn content, Fe content and grain yield per plant which indicates that these traits
are under the influence of additive gene effects and selection may be effective for these characters.

Key words
Kodo millet, PCV, GCV, heritability, genetic advance

Kodo millet, Paspalum scrobiculatum L. approaches depends mainly on the availability of

(2n=4x=40) is an annual grain that is grown diverse germplasm and presence of enormous
primarily in India. It is widely distributed in damp genetic variability. The characterization and
habitats across the tropics and subtropics of the evaluation are the important pre-requisites for
world. It was domesticated around 3000 years ago effective utilization of germplasm and also to
in India, the only country today where it is identify sources of useful genes. An insight into
harvested as a grain in significant quantities, the nature and magnitude of genetic variability
mainly on the Deccan plateau (de Wet et present in the gene pool is of immense value for
al., 1983). It is grown today from Uttar Pradesh to starting any systematic breeding programme
Bangladesh in the north and Kerala and Tamil because the presence of considerable genetic
Nadu in the south. It forms the main stay of the variability in the base material ensures better
dietary nutritional requirements of farmers of chances of evolving desirable plant type. Hence, an
marginal and dry lands in many parts of India. attempt was made to estimate the extent of
Kodo millet ranks second in area and production variation for yield contributing traits in 103 kodo
next to finger millet in India. In India, kodo millet millet germplasm accessions by studying the
occupies an area of 152.5 thousand hectares with genetic parameters like phenotypic coefficient of
the production and productivity of 41.2 thousand variation (PCV), genotypic coefficient of variation
tones and 312 kg/ha, respectively (Padulosi et al., (GCV), heritability and genetic advance, which
2009) and 3570 hectares of area and 6187 tonnes may contribute to formulation of suitable selection
of production in Tamil Nadu. It matures in three to indices for improvement in this crop.
four months with yields varying from 250 to 1000
kg/ha (Hulse et al., 1980) and a potential yield of Fifteen yield contributing characteristics were
2000 kg/ha (Harinarayana, 1989). The seeds have measured to assess the magnitude of heritable
an excellent storage life and can be stored for variability for 103 genotypes of kodo millet. The
several years. The nutritional value of the protein study was conducted at Department of Millets,
has been found to be slightly better than that of Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil
foxtail millet but comparable to that of other small Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore during
millets and has high anti-oxidant activity (anti- kharif, 2015-2016. For evaluation, these
cancer) even when compared to other millets germplasm accessions were grown in randomized
(Chandrasekara and Shahidi, 2011). block design with three replications. Observations
regarding 13 morphological traits viz., days to first
The basic information on the existence of genetic flowering, days to 50 per cent flowering, plant
variability and diversity in a population and the height, number of basal tillers, number of
relationship between different traits is essential for productive tillers, flag leaf length, flag leaf width,
any successful Plant Breeding programme. Genetic peduncle length, inflorescence length, length of
improvement through conventional breeding longest raceme, thumb length, thousand grain

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 Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding, 8(2): 704-707 (June 2017)
DOI: 10.5958/0975-928X.2017.00106.5
ISSN 0975-928X
weight and grain yield per plant were recorded in the earlier reports of Yogeesh et al. (2015) for
three random plants in each replication and two plant height in foxtail millet. The lowest PCV and
quality traits viz., Zn and Fe contents were GCV were recorded for days to first flowering and
recorded. Phenotypic and genotypic variances days to 50 per cent flowering which showed that
were estimated according to the formula given by the variability for these characters among these
Lush (1940). Phenotypic and genotypic genotypes was meagre. These results are in
coefficients of variability were computed accordance with Yogeesh et al. (2015) in foxtail
according to the method suggested by Burton millet for days to 50 per cent flowering.
(1952) and traits were classified as having high,
moderate or low range of variation as per the Broad sense heritability ranged from 54.18 per
method suggested by Sivasubramanian and Menon cent for length of the longest raceme to 97.30 per
(1973). Heritability in broad sense was calculated cent for days to 50 per cent flowering. Days to 50
as per the formula given by Lush (1940). Range of per cent flowering (97.30 %) recorded the highest
heritability was categorized as suggested by heritability followed by Fe content (95.86 %), days
Robinson et al. (1949). Genetic advance was to first flowering (93.76 %), Zn content (91.45
expressed as per cent of mean by using the formula %), plant height (89.60 %), grain yield per plant
suggested by Johnson et al. (1955). Traits were (88.33 %), flag leaf width (87.31 %), number of
classified as having high, moderate or low genetic basal tillers (79.13 %), inflorescence length (77.28
advance as per the method suggested by Johnson et %), thumb length (71.05 %), number of productive
al. (1955). tillers (68.54 %), thousand grain weight (66.07 %)
and flag leaf length (64.51 %). High heritability for
Genetic variability studies provide basic days to 50 per cent flowering and grain yield per
information regarding the genetic properties of the plant was reported by Sreeja (2014) and plant
population based on which breeding methods are height, inflorescence length and grain yield per
formulated for further improvement of the crop. plant was reported by Subramanian et al. (2010) in
These studies are also helpful to know about the kodo millet; days to first flowering, days to fifty
nature and extent of variability that can be percent flowering, plant height, flag leaf length,
attributed to different causes, sensitivity of crop to flag leaf width, inflorescence length, Zn content,
environment, heritability of the character and Fe content and grain yield per plant by Plawani
genetic advance. Panda (2015) in barnyard millet. Heritability which
is the heritable portion of phenotypic variance is a
The analysis of variance for characters under study good index of transmission of characters from
in the present experiment showed significant parents to offspring (Falconer, 1960).
differences among accessions for all the characters
(Table 1), indicating the presence of adequate Genetic advance as per cent of mean ranged from
variability for further improvement. The estimates 18.96 to 113.71 per cent. Zn content (113.71 %)
of mean, range, phenotypic coefficient of variation, recorded the highest genetic advance as per cent of
genotypic coefficient of variation, heritability and mean followed by Fe content (64.05 %), grain
genetic advance as percent of mean are presented yield per plant (60.80 %), number of productive
in table 2. tillers (36.92 %), thumb length (36.86 %), plant
height (36.79 %), number of basal tillers (34.25
In general, PCV was higher than GCV for all the %), flag leaf width (30.06 %), inflorescence length
characters studied. The values for phenotypic (28.00 %) and peduncle length (26.36 %). Yogeesh
coefficients of variation ranged from 9.74 to 60.36 et al. (2015) reported similar results for grain yield
per cent. The values for genotypic coefficients of per plant, number of basal tillers and inflorescence
variation obtained for various yield and yield length in foxtail millet. High genetic advance as
attributing characters ranged from 9.51 to 57.72 per cent of mean indicated that these characters are
per cent. The coefficients of variation at governed by additive genes and selection will be
phenotypic (PCV) and genotypic (GCV) levels rewarding for improvement of these traits.
were high for Zn content, grain yield per plant, Fe Moderate genetic advance as per cent of mean was
content, number of productive tillers and thumb recorded for days to 50 per cent flowering (19.53
length showed that the variations observed in these %) followed by thousand grain weight (19.27 %),
characters contributed markedly to the total length of the longest raceme (19.15 %), flag leaf
variability. Similar results were reported by length (19.03 %) and days to first flowering (18.96
Subramanian et al., (2010) in kodo millet for grain %). Similarly moderate genetic advance as per cent
yield per plant; Plawani Panda (2015) for number of mean was reported by Dagnachew Lule et al.
of productive tillers, Zn content, Fe content and (2012) for days to 50 per cent flowering in finger
grain yield per plant in barnyard millet. Moderate millet indicated that these characters are governed
PCV and GCV were observed for plant height, by non additive genes. High heritability with high
inflorescence length, length of the longest raceme, genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed
flag leaf width, thousand grain weight and flag leaf for plant height, number of basal tillers, number of
length. These observations are in agreement with productive tillers, flag leaf width, inflorescence

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 Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding, 8(2): 704-707 (June 2017)
DOI: 10.5958/0975-928X.2017.00106.5
ISSN 0975-928X
length, thumb length, Zn content, Fe content and harvesting. Ph.D. Thesis, Tamil Nadu Agric.
grain yield per plant. High heritability Univ., Coimbatore, India.
accompanied with high genetic advance indicates Subramanian, A., Nirmalakumari, A. and
that these traits are under the influence of additive Veerabadhiran, P. 2010. Trait based selection of
superior Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum
gene effects and selection may be effective for L.) genotypes. Elect. J. Plant Breed., 1(4): 852-
these characters. It is concluded that genetic 855.
variability present in the population is mainly used Yogeesh, L.N., Shankar, K.A., Prashant, S.M. and
for varietal improvement of future breeding Lokesh, G.Y. 2015. Genetic Variation and
programmes. Morphological Diversity in Foxtail millet. Int. J.
Sci. Envt. Tech., 4(6): 1496 – 1502.
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Plawani Panda. 2015. Genetic diversity in barnyard
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morphological and molecular markers. M.Sc.
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DOI: 10.5958/0975-928X.2017.00106.5
ISSN 0975-928X
Table 1. Analysis of variance for 15 quantitative characters in kodo millet

Mean sum of squares

Characters Treatments Error
(df=102) (df=204)
Days to first flowering 94.98** 2.06
Days to 50 per cent flowering 106.27** 0.97
Plant height (cm) 391.68** 14.58
Number of basal tillers 34.36** 2.77
Number of productive tillers 6.75** 0.89
Flag leaf length (cm) 8.58** 1.33
Flag leaf width (cm) 0.03** 0.001
Peduncle length (cm) 3.33** 0.71
Inflorescence length (cm) 12.74** 1.13
Length of the longest raceme (cm) 2.33** 0.51
Thumb length (cm) 5.53** 0.66
Thousand grain weight (g) 0.63** 0.09
Zn content (mg/100g) 13.40** 0.40
Fe content (mg/100g) 69.24** 0.98
Grain yield per plant (g) 71.23** 3.00
**Significant at 1% level

Table 2. Genetic parameters for fifteen quantitative traits in kodo millet

Range PCV GCV h2 GA (%)

Characters Mean Vp Vg GA
Min. Max. (%) (%) (%) of mean
Days to first flowering 49.00 77.00 58.15 33.03 30.97 9.82 9.51 93.76 11.10 18.96
Days to 50 per cent flowering 52.00 80.00 61.34 36.07 35.10 9.74 9.61 97.30 12.04 19.53
Plant height (cm) 36.01 86.35 59.42 140.28 125.69 19.93 18.87 89.60 21.86 36.79
Number of basal tillers 11.00 25.22 17.36 13.30 10.52 21.01 18.69 79.13 5.94 34.25
Number of productive tillers 3.83 10.73 6.46 2.85 1.95 26.15 21.65 68.54 2.38 36.92
Flag leaf length (cm) 8.99 17.14 13.52 3.70 2.41 14.32 11.50 64.51 2.56 19.03
Flag leaf width (cm) 0.57 1.62 0.70 0.014 0.012 16.71 15.62 87.31 0.21 30.06
Peduncle length (cm) 3.78 8.25 5.41 1.59 0.87 23.31 17.27 54.91 1.43 26.36
Inflorescence length (cm) 8.38 20.80 12.72 5.00 3.86 17.59 15.46 77.28 3.56 28.00
Length of the longest raceme (cm) 3.87 9.32 6.18 1.12 0.60 17.16 12.63 54.18 1.18 19.15
Thumb length (cm) 3.47 11.62 6.00 2.28 1.62 25.19 21.23 71.05 2.21 36.86
Thousand grain weight (g) 2.47 4.91 3.68 0.27 0.18 14.16 11.51 66.07 0.71 19.27
Zn content (mg/100g) 0.10 6.87 3.61 4.73 4.33 60.36 57.72 91.45 4.10 113.71
Fe content (mg/100g) 5.49 25.03 15.02 23.73 22.75 32.44 31.76 95.86 9.62 64.05
Grain yield per plant (g) 5.37 31.37 15.19 25.74 22.74 33.42 31.41 88.33 9.23 60.80

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