Assessment of variability in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] germplasm for agro-morphological traits

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is an important staple food crop of the semi-arid tropics. Phenotypic characterization of conserved gene bank accessions is necessary for their effective utilization for crop improvement. In this study, a total of 2834 accessions of sorghum were characterized during 2018–19 and the data were subjected to ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis, and Shannon's diversity index analysis. Shannon diversity index calculated indicated ear head shape to be the most diverse (H’=1.36). Several trait-specific accessions for early flowering (EC0524806, 57 days), high yield (IC0355254, 245.3 g/plan) etc. were identified. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that grain yield was positively influenced by the traits like ear head width (r=0.14), plant height (r=0.1), number of basal tillers (r= 0.07), and 100seed weight (r= 0.09). The trait-specific germplasm accessions identified in the study could be used as trait-specific donors by breeders for sorghum crop improvement.