Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Combining ability and heterosis among sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) lines for yield, yield-related traits, and anthracnose resistance in western Ethiopia

  • Published:
Euphytica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

High-yielding sorghum genotypes with farmer-preferred agronomic traits and durable anthracnose resistance are key drivers of productivity and adoption. The objective of this study was to determine combining ability effects and heterosis of selected sorghum lines for yield, yield-related traits, and anthracnose resistance, to identify superior parents and families for further selection and breeding. Nine selected sorghum genotypes with known resistance to anthracnose were crossed, using a 9 × 9 half-diallel mating design. Parents and F1 families were evaluated across two locations, using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Significant (P < 0.01) genotype, location, and genotype × location interaction effects were observed for most traits and anthracnose resistance, indicating mixed performances of the tested genotypes, allowing for further selection. General combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects were significant (P < 0.01) for most traits, including anthracnose resistance, indicating both additive and non-additive gene action underlying inheritance of the studied traits. Parental genotypes such as Bt-623, 210903, 234112, and 226057 showed positive and significant GCA effects for grain yield. Parents 74222, 214852, and 71708 showed negative and significant GCA for anthracnose resistance. The following families: Bt-623 × 210903, Bt-623 × 234112, Bt-623 × Chemeda, Bt-623 × Gemedi, 210903 × 234112, 210903 × 71708, 74222 × 234112, 74222 × 226057, 234112 × 71708, 226057 × 214852 and 226057 × 214852 expressing positive SCA effects for grain yield were identified. The following desirable families were selected: 174222 × 234112, Gemedi × 71708, Bt-623 × 234112, Bt-623 × Gemedi, 226057 × 71708, Chemeda × 71708, and Gemedi × 71708 with negative SCA effect and low anthracnose severity. These are useful sorghum populations for resistance breeding or direct production.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acquaah G (2009) Principles of plant genetics and breeding. Wiley, Hoboken

    Google Scholar 

  • Adugna A (2014) Analysis of in situ diversity and population structure in Ethiopian cultivated Sorghum bicolor (L.) landraces using phenotypic traits and SSR markers. SpringerPlus 3:1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Akabari V, Parmar H, Niranjana M, Nakarani D (2012) Heterosis and combining ability for green fodder yield and its contributing traits in forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Forage Res 38:156–163

    Google Scholar 

  • Amelework B, Shimelis H, Tongoona P, Laing M, Mengistu F (2016) Genetic diversity of lowland sorghum landraces assessed by morphological and microsatellite markers. Aust J Crop Sci 10:291–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Aruna C, Shrotria PK, Pahuja SK, Umakanth AV, Bhat BV, Devender AV, Patil JV (2013) Fodder yield and quality in forage sorghum: scope for improvement through diverse male sterile cytoplasms. Crop Pasture Sci 63:1114–1123

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker R (1978) Issues in diallel analysis. Crop Sci 18:533–536

    Google Scholar 

  • Bunphan D, Jaisil P, Sanitchon J, Knoll JE, Anderson WF (2015) Heterosis and combining ability of F1 hybrid sweet sorghum in Thailand. Crop Sci 55:178–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Chala A, Tronsmo AM (2012) Evaluation of Ethiopian sorghum accessions for resistance against Colletotrichum sublineolum. Eur J Plant Pathol 132:179–189

    Google Scholar 

  • Chala A, Brurberg MB, Tronsmo AM (2007) Prevalence and intensity of sorghum anthracnose in Ethiopia. J SAT Agric Res 5:145–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Chikuta S, Odong T, Kabi F, Rubaihayo P, BomBom A, Okori P, Gibson P, Rubaihayo P, Kiryowa M, Ddamulira G (2017) Combining ability and heterosis of selected grain and forage dual purpose sorghum genotypes. J Agric Sci 9:122–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Crouch JA, Beirn LA (2009) Anthracnose of cereals and grasses. Fungal Divers 39:19–44

    Google Scholar 

  • CSA (2014) Agricultural sample survey. Report on area and production of major crops, volume I (Meher season, private peasant holdings), Addis Ababa

  • Derese SA, Shimelis H, Mwadzingeni L, Laing M (2018) Agro-morphological characterisation and selection of sorghum landraces. Acta Agric Scand Sect B Soil Plant Sci 68:585–595

    Google Scholar 

  • Doggett H (1988) Sorghum. Longman Scientific & Technical, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Falconer DS, Mackay TFC (1996) Introduction to quantitative genetics, 4th edn. Longmans Green, Harlow, Essex, UK, pp 160–183

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2014) World Agricultural Production. Available at: http://faostat3.fao.org. Accessed 23 July 2016

  • FAO (2018) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Database of agricultural production. FAO Statistical Databases. http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx. Accessed 31 Jan 2019

  • Griffing B (1956) Concept of general and specific combining ability in relation to diallel crossing systems. Aust Biol Sci 9:463–493

    Google Scholar 

  • House LR (1995) Sorghum: one of the world’s great cereals. Afr Crop Sci J 3:135–142

    Google Scholar 

  • Jadhav R, Deshmukh D (2017) Heterosis and combining ability studies in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) over the environments. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci 6:3058–3064

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaikishan I, Rajendrakumar P, Hariprasanna K, Bhat BV (2018) Gene expression analysis in sorghum hybrids and their parental lines at critical developmental stages in relation to grain yield heterosis by exploiting heterosis-related genes from major cereals. Plant Mol Biol Rep 36:418–428

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jain SK, Patel PR (2013) Heterosis studies for yield and its attributing traits in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Forage Res 39:114–117

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenga R, Alabi SO, Gupta SC (2004) Combining ability studies in tropical sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). Field Crops Res 88:251–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Makanda I, Tongoona P, Derera J (2009) Combining ability and heterosis of sorghum germplasm for stem sugar traits under off-season conditions in tropical lowland environments. Field Crops Res 114:272–279

    Google Scholar 

  • Mekbib F (2006) Farmer and formal breeding of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and the implications for integrated plant breeding. Euphytica 152:163–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Mengistu G, Ayana A, Belete K (2010) Combining ability for yield and its components in Ethiopian sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) Landraces. East Afr J Sci 4:34–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Mengistu G, Shimelis H, Laing M, Lule D (2018) Assessment of farmers’ perceptions of production constraints, and their trait preferences of sorghum in western Ethiopia: implications for anthracnose resistance breeding. Acta Agric Scand Sect B Soil Plant Sci 69:241–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Mindaye TT, Mace ES, Godwin ID, Jordan DR (2015) Genetic differentiation analysis for the identification of complementary parental pools for sorghum hybrid breeding in Ethiopia. Theor Appl Genet 128:1765–1775

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mindaye TT, Mace ES, Godwin ID, Jordan DR (2016) Heterosis in locally adapted sorghum genotypes and potential of hybrids for increased productivity in contrasting environments in Ethiopia. Crop J 4:479–489

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohammed R, Are AK, Bhavanasi R, Munghate RS, Kishor K, Polavarapu B, Sharma HC (2015) Quantitative genetic analysis of agronomic and morphological traits in sorghum, Sorghum bicolor. Front Plant Sci 6:1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Patel Y, Patel R, Gami R, Patel P, Parmar N (2018) Study of per se performance and heterosis for yield and its attributing traits in forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (l.) Moench]. Forage Res 44:81–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Patil NY, Klein RR, Williams CL, Collins SD, Knoll JE, Burrell AM, Anderson WF, Rooney WL, Klein PE (2017) Quantitative trait loci associated with anthracnose resistance in sorghum. Crop Sci 57:877–890

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reddy BV, Ramesh S, Reddy PS, Ramaiah B (2007) Combining ability and heterosis as influenced by male-sterility inducing cytoplasms in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Euphytica 154:153–164

    Google Scholar 

  • Reddy RN, Madhusudhana R, Mohan SM, Chakravarthi DVN, Mehtre SP, Seetharama N, Patil JV (2013) Mapping QTL for grain yield and other agronomic traits in post-rainy sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]. Theor Appl Genet 126:1921–1939

    Google Scholar 

  • Ringo J, Onkware A, Mgonja M, Deshpande S, Rathore A, Mneney E, Gudu S (2015) Heterosis for yield and its components in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) hybrids in dry lands and sub-humid environments of East Africa. Austr J Crop Sci 9:9–13

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schlegel RHJ (2010) Dictionary of plant breeding, 2nd edn. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton

    Google Scholar 

  • Sebnie W, Mengesha M (2018) Response of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer rate for sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) production in Wag-Lasta area of Ethiopia. Arch Agric Environ Sci 3:180–186

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma R, Upadhyaya HD, Manjunatha SV, Rao VP, Thakur RP (2012) Resistance to foliar diseases in a mini-core collection of sorghum germplasm. Plant Dis 96:1629–1633

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shehzad T, Okuno K (2015) QTL mapping for yield and yield-contributing traits in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) with genome-based SSR markers. Euphytica 203:17–31

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shukla S, Felderhoff TJ, Saballos A, Vermerris W (2017) The relationship between plant height and sugar accumulation in the stems of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). Field Crops Res 203:181–191

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh RK, Chaudhary BD (1985) Biometrical methods in quantitative genetic analysis, 3rd edn. Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Sprague GF, Tatum LA (1942) General vs. specific combining ability in single crosses of corn. Agron J 34:923–932

    Google Scholar 

  • Tariq AS, Akram Z, Shabbir G, Khan KS, Iqbal MS (2014) Heterosis and combining ability studies for quantitative traits in fodder sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.). J Agric Res 52:329–337

    Google Scholar 

  • Tesso T, Perumal R, Little CR, Adeyanju A, Radwan GL, Prom LK, Magill CW (2012) Sorghum pathology and biotechnology-a fungal disease perspective: part II. Anthracnose, stalk rot, and downy mildew. Eur J Plant Sci Biotechnol 6:31–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Thakur RP, Mathur K (2000) Anthracnose. In: Frederiksen RA, Odvody GN (eds) Compendium of sorghum diseases. The American Phytopathological Society, St Paul

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas MD, Sissoko I, Sacko M (1996) Development of leaf anthracnose and its effect on yield and grain weight of sorghum in West Africa. Plant Dis 80:151–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Weerasooriya DK, Maulana FR, Bandara AY, Tirfessa A, Ayana A, Mengistu G, Nouh K, Tesso TT (2016) Genetic diversity and population structure among sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) germplasm collections from Western Ethiopia. Afr J Biotechnol 15:1147–1158

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yan W, Hunt L (2002) Biplot analysis of diallel data. Crop Sci 42:21–30

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Kang MS, Lamkey KR (2005) DIALLEL-SAS05: a comprehensive program for Griffing’s and Gardner–Eberhart analyses. Agron J 97:1097–1106

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The University of KwaZulu-Natal, the National Research Foundation (NRF)/South Africa and Oromia Agricultural Research Institute/Ethiopia are sincerely acknowledged for financial support of the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. African Centre for Crop Improvement (ACCI), School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3209, South Africa

    Girma Mengistu, Hussein Shimelis, Mark Laing & Jacob Mashilo

  2. Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box 81265, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Girma Mengistu & Dagnachew Lule

Authors
  1. Girma Mengistu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hussein Shimelis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mark Laing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dagnachew Lule
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jacob Mashilo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jacob Mashilo.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mengistu, G., Shimelis, H., Laing, M. et al. Combining ability and heterosis among sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) lines for yield, yield-related traits, and anthracnose resistance in western Ethiopia. Euphytica 216, 33 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-020-2563-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-020-2563-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation