Estimation of genetic variability and gene action for grain yield in finger millet

Abstract

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.)) is a climate resilient crop, with an elevated nutritional profile; cultivated mainly in semi-arid and arid regions of Africa and Asia. Despite its importance as a climate smart and nutrient dense crop, its production has not reached full potential partly due to limited availability of improved varieties. The objective of this study was to assess yield and related traits genetic variability, heritability and number of genes in finger millet (FM). The field study comprising of ten FM genotypes, was carried out during the 2023-2024 summer cropping season at Lupane State University Farm in the Northwestern Zimbabwe. There were significant (P<0.05) genetic variations among the genotypes for all traits studied. Several grain yield traits (grain yield per plant, number of productive tillers, ear head weight, and thousand grain weight) showed high broad sense heritability (estimated at 0.97, 0.90, 0.88 and 0.86, respectively). Moreover, the narrow difference between trait phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, suggests a predominance of additive gene action. High genetic advance, as a percentage of mean for these traits, suggests that direct selection would be effective for achieving early genetic gains. A combination of high broad sense heritability with high genetic advance as a percentage, coupled with preponderance of additive gene action, suggests that these traits can respond to selection within this population. Grain yield per plant was significantly and positively correlated with ear head weight (r = 0.72), number of productive tillers (r = 0.70) and thousand grain weight (r = 0.66); but showed a negative correlation with plant height (r = -0.62). Path analysis further revealed that these traits exert a positive direct effect on grain yield, suggesting that selecting these specific traits would be effective in increasing yield. This study noted that despite the intricate inheritance of some quantitative traits, strategic selection can still lead to significant genetic improvement.