Assessment of genetic variation, heritability, and genetic advance among elite sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench] lines for yield and yield associated traits under moisture stress areas

In dry lowland regions of the world, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench) is a significant crop extensively farmed for food, feed, fodder, and fuel. Despite extensive breeding work, sorghum production and productivity remain low in Ethiopia. To create superior genotypes in breeding programs, it is necessary to comprehend the existence and extent of genetic diversity. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate the importance of genetic diversity, heritability, and genetic progress among the genotypes of sorghum. Using an alpha lattice design with two replications, a total of 72 genotypes were assessed during the main cropping season of 2020 in Miesso in Eastern Ethiopia and Kobo in Northern Ethiopia. For every trait, a combined analysis of variance revealed a significant difference (p<0.01) between the genotypes. Grain yield, the number of heads per plot, and the number of stands at harvest had the highest genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation, while the number of days to flowering, days to maturity, grain filling period, leaf length, and leaf width had the lowest. Genetic advance as a percentage of the mean (GAM) varied from 2.28% for the number of days to maturity to 97.04% for grain yield, while broad sense heritability ranged from 26.46% for panicle width to 89.67% for grain yield. The genotypes ETSC14804-4-2 (4.97 t/ha), ETSC14695-1-2 (4.7 t/ha), and ETSC14715-3-1 (4.46 t/ha) were found to be high-yielders in comparison to the others based on the current data. Still, more research is required to make better recommendations.