Variance components in recombinant inbred lines of Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter L.]: Estimation and their implications in selection

Abstract

Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter L.] is an indigenous and important cereal crop in Ethiopia. Its improvement is dependent on the presence and magnitude of genetic variation among traits in a given environment. Forty-nine tef genotypes (RILs and checks) were evaluated in 2019 to assess the nature of genetic variability, broad sense heritability and genetic advance of traits using 7 × 7 simple lattice design. Analysis of variance revealed significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences among the genotypes except for thousand seed weight. About 53% of the genotypes provided higher yield than the latest improved variety (Ebba), implied that most of the studied RILs varied for grain yield. Higher phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation found for main shoot panicle weight, main shoot panicle grain yield, fertile tiller number and days to heading, grain-filling period, main-shoot panicle length, total-tiller number, fertile-tiller number, main-shoot panicle weight, main-shoot panicle grain yield, grain yield and harvest index, implying the presence of adequate variability within the genotypes for these traits. High values of broad sense heritability coupled with high genetic advance as percent of the mean were observed for days to heading, grain-filling period, peduncle length, fertile-tiller number and grain yield indicating the contribution of additive genes for trait expression and possibility of traits improvement through direct selection. Generally, this considerable genetic variability among the RILs confirmed the possibility of improving tef productivity, while most of these RILs should further be studied on more test locations.

Keywords

• coefficient of variation
• eragrostis tef
• genetic advance
• heritability
• recombinant inbred lines