Exploring the agro-morphological performance of mini core collection of finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn] germplasm under sodic condition

    Monika, S and Vanniarajan, C and Vetriventhan, M and Sakthivel, K and Meena, S and Ramesh, T (2025) Exploring the agro-morphological performance of mini core collection of finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn] germplasm under sodic condition. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution (TSI), 72. pp. 673-696. ISSN 0925-9864

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    Abstract

    Sodicity refers to the excessive accumulation of sodium ions in soil, which adversely affects soil structure and thereby crop productivity. Finger millet is a highly adaptable crop that contributes significantly to global food security and nutrition. Although, it demonstrates tolerance to various abiotic stresses, cultivars suitable for sodic soils remain limited. To address this gap, a mini core collection of 76 finger millet accessions from ICRISAT, Hyderabad, along with four released cultivars, were evaluated under natural sodicity during the summer 24 and kharif 2024. Genetic variability and diversity analysis for 13 qualitative and 19 yield-related traits among the mini core collection revealed high diversity for ear shape and grain colour, while traits like discontinuity of spikelets on fingers showed low diversity among the qualitative traits. Spearman rank correlation was used to examine trait interrelationships among the qualitative traits. Mixed model analysis using REML indicated significant variation in most yield traits, except for flag leaf breadth and peduncle length. High phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation (PCV and GCV) were recorded for flag leaf length, with moderate variation for most traits, and lower values for days to flowering and days to maturity. Heritability was found to be moderate to high, with genetic advance as a percent of mean (GAM) spanning low to high. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified six principal components with eigen values > 1, accounting for 76% of the total variability. Hierarchical clustering grouped accessions into eight clusters, suggesting the potential for selecting diverse parents for breeding. Promising accessions for high yield and other key traits under sodic stress have been identified for future breeding programs which aim at improving sodicity tolerance in finger millet.

    Item Type: Article
    Divisions: Genebank
    CRP: UNSPECIFIED
    Uncontrolled Keywords: Finger millet, Sodicity, Qualitative traits, Quantitative traits, Genetic variability, Diversity
    Subjects: Others > Genetic Engineering
    Mandate crops > Millets > Finger Millet
    Others > Germplasm
    Depositing User: Mr Nagaraju T
    Date Deposited: 09 Mar 2026 05:33
    Last Modified: 09 Mar 2026 05:33
    URI: http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/13523
    Official URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10722-0...
    Projects: UNSPECIFIED
    Funders: UNSPECIFIED
    Acknowledgement: The author acknowledges Department of Biotechnology- Junior Research Fellowship (DBT-JRF) program, Government of India for providing fellowship for the doctoral program
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