6.4 Results
6.4.3 Combining ability
6.4.3.1 Mean sums of squares for combining ability
Differences between parents and between crosses were significant (P<0.05) for 13 of the 14 traits, the exceptions being number of fingers and grains per spikelet, respectively (Table 6.4-3). Differences were significant (P<0.05) between females for ten traits and between males for six traits; the female x male interaction was significant (P<0.05) for 13 traits. Interactions were significant (P<0.05) for location x parents for four traits, location x crosses for seven traits, location x females for four traits, location x males for two traits and location x female x males for four traits.
6.4.3.2 Leaf, neck and finger blast
Significant (P<0.05) GCA (females) and SCA variances were recorded for leaf, neck and finger blast (Table 6.4-3). The general prediction ratio values were 0.8, 0.8 and 0.9 for leaf, neck and finger blast, respectively. Based on the GPR values there was higher additive than non-additive gene effects for the three blast types. Location x crosses interactions were significant (P<0.05) for leaf and neck blast whereas location x parents interaction was significant (P<0.05) for finger blast only with similar reaction for leaf and neck blast across the two locations. The highest contribution to the total SS was from female x male interaction with 65.4% for neck and finger blast and 56.8% for leaf blast (Table 6.4-4).
6.4.3.3 Yield and associated traits
Based on across locations data, significant GCA and SCA variances were recorded for grain yield ha-1, grain yield plant-1, days to flowering, days to maturity, plant height, finger length and finger width and 1000-grain mass (Table 6.4-3). The general prediction ratio values ranged from 0.4 (fingers per panicle) to 0.9 for plant height, finger width and grains per spikelet. Based on GPR values, GCA estimates, hence additive gene effects were predominant for days to flowering and maturity, plant height, productive tillers per plant, finger length and width, grains per spikelet, grain yield ha-1, grain yield per plant and 1000-grain mass. Significant interactions for location x crosses were observed for days to maturity, productive tillers per plant, grain yield per plant, plant height, and fingers per ear. Parent x location interactions were significant for productive tillers per plant, grain yield per plant and fingers per panicle.
Female x male interaction contributed most to total variance in all traits except for productive tillers per plant (Table 6.4-4).
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Table 6.4-3: Mean squares for combining ability for 14 traits of finger millet across two test locations
Source Df Lblast Nblast Fblast Gyld Tillers Plyld Daf Dam Pht Fingers
Fin length
Fin
width Grains
1000 mass Loc 1 5.25** 66.02** 41.71** 52.84** 7.56* 3826.45** 3239.50** 2558.67** 26490.28** 166.84** 113.96** 0.22** 4.34 8.11**
Rep/loc 4 2.46** 2.85* 1.82* 1.25** 3.31 28.66** 81.08* 30.36 101.93** 0.74 0.16 0.03** 0.76 0.49**
Treat 23 1.90** 10.30** 12.19** 1.18** 5.84** 37.62** 200.92** 185.09** 491.17** 2.25** 10.12** 0.02** 2.16* 0.25**
Parents 7 2.42* 16.69** 22.63** 1.35** 9.04** 45.97** 262.04** 235.05** 1261.74** 1.04 17.78** 0.04** 4.10** 0.33**
Crosses 15 1.53** 7.65** 7.95** 1.15** 4.74** 33.28** 183.79** 174.08** 155.18** 2.57** 6.53** 0.01* 1.39 0.24**
Parents x
Crosses 1 3.90* 5.28* 2.80* 0.45* 0.01 44.348** 30.03 0.42 136.95* 5.84** 10.31** 0.05** 0.28 0.02
Female (GCAf) 3 2.885** 9.27** 12.71** 0.25 13.68** 2.76 284.04** 289.98** 191.27** 2.43* 17.89** 0.01 2.59 0.39**
Male (GCAm) 3 0.412 0.38 1.02 1.12** 2.71 27.94** 37.96 68.51** 194.22** 3.96** 5.64** 0.01 1.04 0.05
Female*Male
(SCA) 9 1.44** 9.54** 8.67** 1.46** 2.44* 45.23** 198.98** 170.64** 130.14** 2.16** 3.04** 0.01 1.10 0.25**
Loc x Treat 23 0.72* 1.37 1.37* 0.27* 4.35** 20.53** 30.22 26.57* 52.58* 1.96** 1.17 0.01 0.88 0.10
Loc x Parents 7 0.83 2.12 3.11* 0.32 6.38** 23.79* 57.33 26.19 37.86 1.42* 1.26 0.01 0.62 0.15
Loc x Crosses 15 0.70** 1.08* 0.59 0.26 3.67** 19.60** 19.02 28.13* 62.87* 2.14** 1.11 0.01 0.93 0.08
Loc x Females 3 0.27 0.39 0.23 0.13 5.32** 17.07* 22.04 23.46 130.35** 6.68** 1.80 0.03 0.87 0.06
Loc x Males 3 0.60 0.82 1.00 0.38 2.34 10.88 3.68 46.59* 23.28 0.26 0.74 0.04 0.71 0.02
Loc x Female x
Male 9 0.87* 1.40* 0.57 0.26 3.56* 23.34** 23.13 23.54 53.58 1.26 1.01 0.01 1.03 0.10
Error 92 0.33 1.05 0.74 0.15 1.49 6.20 27.21 14.98 27.11 0.65 0.90 0.01 1.17 0.06
General predicted ratio (GPR)
0.8 0.8 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.4 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.7
Df-Degrees of freedom; Lblast-Leaf blast;, Nblast-Neck blast; Fblast-Finger blast; Gyld-Green yield (t ha-1); Pyld-Plant yield; Daf-Days to flowering; Dam-Days to maturity; Pht-Plant height;
Finlength-Finger length; Finwidth-Finger width; Grains-Grains per spikelet; 1000 mass-1000-grain mass. ** Significant at P<0.01; * Significant at P<0.05
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Table 6.4-4: Percent contribution (%) of females, males and female x male to the total sum of squares
Trait Females Males Female
x Male
Trait Females Males Female x Male
Leaf Blast 37.8 5.4 56.8 Days to maturity 33.3 7.9 58.8
Neck blast 32.0 2.6 65.4 Plant height 24.7 25.0 50.3
Finger blast 32.0 2.6 65.4 Fingers per ear 18.9 30.8 50.4
Grain yield 4.4 19.5 76.1 Finger length 54.8 17.3 28.0
Productive tillers/plant 57.7 11.4 30.9 Finger width 25.8 13.6 60.6 Grain yield/Plant 1.7 16.8 81.5 Grains per spikelet 37.4 15.0 47.7
Days to flowering 30.9 4.1 65.0 1000-grain mass 32.8 4.2 63.0
6.4.3.4 General combining ability effects
6.4.3.4.1 Leaf blast, neck and finger blast
The GCA effects varied among the parents (Table 6.4-5). Among the female parents, KNE 744 had significant (P<0.05), desirable negative GCA effects for leaf blast (-0.36), neck (-0.67) and finger blast (- 1.04). Female parents IE 3104 and IE 11 had negative GCA effects for at least one of the blast types.
Female parent KAT FM 1 had significant (P<0.05) positive GCA effects for the three blast types (0.47, 0.77 and 0.55 for leaf, neck and finger blast, respectively). Among the male parents no significant positive nor negative GCA effects were recorded but male parent KNE 392 had negative GCA effects for the three blast types whereas Okhale 1 and P 224 had negative GCA effects, each for one blast type.
6.4.3.4.2 Yield and associated traits
General combing ability effects for the traits varied among the parents exhibiting both positive (desirable) and negative (undesirable) sign for the various yield traits (Table 6.4-5). Significant (P<0.05) positive GCA effects in females ranged from 0.11 for 1000-grain mass (KAT FM 1) to 1.03 (IE 3104) for productive tillers per plant. Female parents KAT FM 1 and IE 3104 recorded significant (P<0.05) negative GCA effects of -2.70 and 4.36 for flowering and maturity, respectively. Among the male parents, Okhale 1 had significant (P<0.05) positive GCA effects for grain yield ha-1 (0.27), fingers per panicle (0.41) and finger length (0.72). Male parent KNE 392 had significant (P<0.05) desirable negative GCA effects for days to maturity (-1.74) and plant height (-2.24).
173 Table 6.4-5: General combining ability effects of parents
Leaf Blast Neck blast Finger blast Gyld Tillers Pyld Daf Dam Pht Fingers Fin length Fin width Grains 1000 mass GCA females
KAT FM 1 0.47** 0.77** 0.55** 0.13 0.07 0.35* -3.03** -4.36** 3.70** 0.11 0.30 0.01 0.28 0.11*
IE 3104 -0.07 0.19 0.46** 0.00 1.03** 0.20 -2.70** 0.3 -2.56* 0.36* -0.17 -0.03* -0.47* -0.16**
KNE 744 -0.36** -0.67** -1.04** -0.02 -0.43 -0.15 4.01** 4.14** -1.80 -0.09 -1.09** 0.02 0.03 -0.05
IE 11 -0.05 -0.29 0.03 -0.12 -0.68** -0.4 1.72 -0.07 0.66 -0.39* 0.96** -0.01 0.16 0.10
GCA males
OKHALE 1 0.04 -0.06 0.03 0.27** 0.11 1.50** 0.34 1.51* 4.06** 0.41* 0.72** 0.02 0.16 -0.04
KNE 796 0.06 0.17 0.28 0.03 0.03 -0.48 -1.41 -1.16 -0.15 0.16 -0.31 -0.01 0.03 0.03
KNE 392 -0.19 -0.13 -0.10 -0.04 0.32 -0.02 -0.49 -1.74* -2.24* -0.01 -0.21 -0.02 -0.30 -0.03
P 224 0.10 0.02 -0.20 -0.26** -0.47* -1.00* 1.55 1.39 -1.67 -0.55** -0.21 0.00 0.11 0.05
SE (gi) 0.101 0.156 0.148 0.078 0.222 0.459 0.918 0.745 1.079 0.170 0.193 0.015 0.231 0.051
SE(gij) 0.142 0.220 0.209 0.110 0.314 0.649 1.298 1.053 1.526 0.240 0.273 0.021 0.326 0.072
Gyld-Grain yield (t ha-1), Pyld-Plant yield, Daf-Days to flowering, Dam-days to maturity, Pht-Plant height, Fin length-Finger length, Fin width-Finger width, Grains-Grains per spikelet, 1000 mass – 1000-grain mass. ** Significant at P<0.01; * Significant at P<0.05
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6.4.3.5 Specific combining ability effects 6.4.3.5.1 Leaf blast, neck and finger blast
Significant (P<0.05) desirable negative SCA effects for at least two blast types were recorded in five crosses with a range of -0.40 for leaf blast in KNE 744 x Okhale 1 to -1.75 for neck blast in IE 3104 x KNE 796. Crosses KAT FM 1 x Okhale 1, IE 11 x P 224 and IE 3104 x KNE 796 had significant (P<0.05) negative SCA effects for all the three blast types (Table 6.4-6). Significant (P<0.05) desirable negative SCA effects were also recorded in KAT FM 1 x P 224 (-0.65) and IE 3104 x KNE 392 (-0.92) for finger blast and in IE 11 x Okhale 1 (-0.77) and IE 11 x KNE 392 (-0.67) for neck blast. Crosses IE 3104 x P 224 and IE 11 x KNE 796 exhibited significant (P<0.05) undesirable positive SCA effects for all the three blast types.
6.4.3.5.2 Yield and yield associated traits
Specific combining ability effects differed among crosses for each trait (Table 6.4-6). Significant P<0.05) SCA effects in the desirable direction were recorded in the crosses for the various traits. Positive SCA effects were desirable except for days to flowering, maturity and plant height. Crosses KAT FM1 x P 24, IE 3104 x KNE 796 and KNE 744 x KNE 392 had significant (P<0.05) positive SCA effects for grain yield whereas IE 3104 x KNE 392 and KNE 744 x P 244 had significant (P<0.05) positive SCA effects for 1000 grain mass. Significant (P<0.05) positive SCA effects for finger length were recorded in KAT FM1 x P 224 and IE 3104 x KNE 796, and in KNE 744 x KNE 796 for productive tillers per plant.
Significant (P<0.05) negative SCA effects were recorded in IE 3104 x P 44 and IE 11 x KNE 796 for days to flowering and maturity, and in IE 3104 x KNE 392 and IE 3104 x P 224 for plant height.
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Table 6.4-6: Specific combining ability effects of the 16 crosses
Crosses Leaf
Blast
Neck blast
Finger blast
Gyld Tillers Pyld Daf Dam Pht Fingers Fin
length
Fin width
Grains 1000 mass
KAT FM 1 x Okhale 1 -0.43* -0.69* -0.63* 0.07 -0.16 0.72 3.03 1.57 3.24 -0.41 -0.25 -0.03 -0.61 0.14
KAT FM 1 x KNE 796 0.21 -0.10 0.12 -0.49** -0.41 -2.62** -0.55 -1.43 -1.85 -0.16 0.33 0.05 0.01 0.01
KAT FM 1 x KNE 392 0.21 0.67* 1.16** -0.32* -0.2 -2.17* -1.3 -0.18 1.42 -0.16 0.22 0.01 0.68 -0.08
KAT FM 1 x P 224 0.01 0.13 -0.65* 0.73** 0.76 4.07** -1.18 0.03 -2.82 0.72* -0.30 -0.03 -0.07 -0.06
IE 3104 x Okhale 1 -0.14 0.58 -0.13 0.19 0.22 1.80* 1.86 1.91 4.02 0.34 0.47 0.03 0.47 0.09
IE 3104 x KNE 796 -0.49* -1.75** -1.21** 0.58** -0.70 2.18* 6.78** 7.57** 5.68** 0.43 0.83* -0.07* -0.24 0.00
IE 3104 x KNE 392 -0.24 0.10 -0.92** -0.27 0.51 0.41 0.36 -0.84 -5.12* -0.41 -0.72 0.01 -0.41 0.25*
IE 3104 x P 224 0.88** 1.06** 2.27** -0.50** -0.03 -4.40** -9.01** -8.64** -4.58* -0.36 -0.58 0.04 0.18 -0.34**
KNE 744 x Okhale 1 0.40* 0.88** 0.45 -0.40* -0.66 -2.73** -2.68 -1.93 -3.96 -0.36 0.19 0.03 0.3 -0.08
KNE 744 x KNE 796 -0.12 -0.54 0.12 -0.14 0.93* 0.13 -2.26 0.57 -3.01 -0.61 -0.09 -0.01 0.09 -0.03
KNE 744 x KNE 392 0.05 -0.1 -0.34 0.32* -0.03 1.76 4.32* 0.66 3.47 0.55 -0.21 -0.03 -0.41 -0.18
KNE 744 x P 224 -0.33 -0.23 -0.23 0.22 -0.24 0.84 0.61 0.70 3.5 0.43 0.11 0.01 0.01 0.29**
IE 11 x Okhale 1 0.17 -0.77* 0.31 0.13 0.59 0.22 -2.22 -1.55 -3.3 0.43 -0.41 -0.03 -0.16 -0.14
IE 11 x KNE 796 0.40* 2.40** 0.97** 0.06 0.18 0.30 -3.97* -6.72** -0.82 0.34 -1.07** 0.04 0.14 0.02
IE 11 x KNE 392 -0.02 -0.67* 0.1 0.26 -0.28 0.00 -3.39 0.36 0.23 0.01 0.71 0.01 0.14 0.01
IE 11 x P 224 -0.56** -0.96** -1.38** -0.45** -0.49 -0.51 9.57** 7.91** 3.89 -0.78* 0.77* -0.02 -0.11 0.11
SE (gi) 0.202 0.295 0.295 0.155 0.444 0.918 1.836 1.490 2.158 0.339 0.386 0.030 0.462 0.102
SE(gij) 0.856 1.252 1.252 0.658 1.884 3.894 7.788 6.319 9.156 1.440 1.638 0.129 1.959 0.433
Gyld-Grain yield (t ha-1), Pyld-Plant yield, Daf-Days to flowering, Dam-days to maturity, Pht-Plant height, Fin length-Finger length, Fin width-Finger width, Grains-Grains per spikelet, 1000 mass –1000-grain mass. ** Significant at P<0.01; * Significant at P<0.05
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