GENETIC INHERITANCE, SEED SYSTEM AND PARTICIPATORY VARIETY SELECTION IN FINGER MILLET [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn]

Abstract

The present study were conducted at Yielmana-Densa and Mecha Districts (Woredas), West Gojam Zone, North West Ethiopia with the objectives to assess the existing finger millet seed system in terms of seed provision to provide options for effective finger millet seed system development; to document farmers’ knowledge on finger millet seed production and management practices; to identify farmers’ selection parameters for finger millet genetic improvement and to select highly performing varieties through participatory variety selection approach; to determine the inheritance of finger millet yield and yield components and to evaluate the presence of any “maternal effect” and its magnitude for these finger millet characters and to gather information on heritability and minimum number of genes on yield and yield component traits of finger millet. The result revealed that informal seed system as the most important system in the study area. Farmers obtained seed predominately from parents as gift at beginning, but for the following years the higher share is from their own stock/ harvest due to absence of improved variety in the market. Hence, informal seed system contributes 100% for the access, conservation and genetic improvement of finger millet landraces of Ethiopia. This implies the existing finger millet seed supply system is insufficient to meet farmers need but contributing to maintain genetic diversity to cope-up with climate change in the country. Results of participatory variety selection study identified that Wama, Gute and Barieda as the top yielder (2067, 1967 and 1717 kg/ha) varieties, respectively compared to other varieties. However, based on farmers’ selection criteria such as seed yield, disease resistance, tiller capacity, early maturity, number of fingers and biomass qualityand biomass yield; Barieda, Degu, Wama and Gute varieties were selected with the rank 1st to 4th, in the same order. Highly significant differences observed in analysis of variance among xxiv generation for all traits. The generations mean analysis of main and reciprocal cross revealed absence of maternal effect, suggesting the possibility of using either of the parents as female parent during crossing activity for finger millet variety development. The results of inheritance analyses indicated that simple additive/dominance model was adequate to explain the inheritance of plant height, number of ears, days to flowering and biomass yield at Adet; and plant height and days to flowering at Mecha. For the remaining traits the scaling test revealed significant effect. The joint scaling test as indicated by Chi-square (χ2) test fit the six parameter model. Six parameters genetic model indicated the presence of higher magnitude of additive over dominance for some of the traits. In connection to this additive x additive genetic effect was showed significant effect in most of the traits. Furthermore, complementary types of epistasis existed in most traits over duplicate type of epistasis; this shows easily exploitation of the gene action. Both dominant and additive variances were showed significant effect in studied traits. The degree of dominance depicted partial dominance, complete dominance and over dominance and the direction of dominance are positive in most of the traits. The medium to highest values of narrow sense heritability coupled to highest genetic advance as percent of mean for number of ear and biomass yield at Adet and biomass yield at Mecha; this implies high additive variance in controlling the expression of these traits and can be improved through selection. The numbers of genes governing the inheritance of the characters ranged from -0.23 to 88.78 at both locations. The small results detected the complication created by epistasis and genotype by environment interaction. Generally, the present study provided a set of useful background information in relation to absence of extension system to introduce improved varieties and efficient certified supply system as well as the genetic structures of the traits considered in this study. Hence, with farmers’ trait preferences and insights about seed production management and supply system of seeds, pureline and hybrid finger millet improvement program can be designed with the application of recurrent selection method at early and late generations