ON-FARM EVALUATION OF MUTANT MILLET (Pennisetum glaucum L.) LINES IN THREE AGRO ECOLOGICAL ZONES OF GHANA

Abstract

Experiments were condi4eted within the transitional, -Guinea and savanna zones of Ghana on evaluation of mutant pearl millet to determine the best yielding and adaptable genotype. The genotypes evaluated were three pearl millet mutants (100, 200 and 300 Gy) alongside a standard check and farmer own local seed. The experiments were set up in a Randomized Complete Block EL-sign with three replications. Parameters measured were plant height, number of tillers, days to 50% flowering, head length, head width, 1000 grain yield and grain yield. Results of the analysis of variance revealed significant difference in all the quantitative phenotypic traits measured. From the results, the most adaptable and stable mutants was 100 Gy which was superior in vegetative growth. reached 50% flowering the earliest and recorded the highest grain yield among the genotypes in all the ecological zones. Mutants from 200 Gy followed closely and recorded appreciable yields in the Transitional and Guinea savanna zones. Mutants from 300 Gy was the least performing among the mutants. PCA analyses was conducted to allow the identification of elite mutants based on the measured phenotypic, results revealed that the first PC explained 78.462% of the total data variation with its main contributors being plant height at 4 WAP, tiller count at 6 WAP, head length and head width. Result of the cluster analysis grouped the mutant populations in to two clusters, whiles the parent genotype appeared in an independent cluster demonstrating a high efficacy of the mutagen in inducing genetic variability for the measured traits. Mutants of the 300 Gy seemed more distant and most divergent as it appeared in a cluster farther away from the parent line. It is recommended that the superior yielding mutants should be considered for registration as elite pearl millet mutant varieties whiles the most divergent mutants should also be considered as viable parents for hybridization program for obtaining desirable segregants in the subsequent generation.