Selection of high yielding stable forage sorghum genotypes using WAASB and MGIDI methods

Abstract

Forage sorghum is a versatile and sustainable crop that is less demanding on inputs, produces significant biomass, and is tolerant of drought. In the present study, a set of 30 forage sorghum genotypes, including 21 B–lines and 9 varieties or restorer lines were evaluated under five different environments in Assam and Hyderabad during kharif, rabi and summer 2020–2021 for 12 forage yield related traits. Phenotypic stability was analyzed using multivariate techniques, including the weighted average absolute scores of BLUPs (WAASB) stability index and the multi-trait genotype ideotype distance index (MGIDI). A WAASBY, Y x WAASB bi-plot analysis revealed that genotypes G24 (348B), G25 (424B), and G30 (SSG-59-3) exhibited excellent stability with higher mean performance. MGIDI identified four genotypes, viz., G30 (SSG-59-3), G7 (NSS11B), G19 (327B) and G24 (348B) with higher mean performance and stability for all the 12 studied traits. These selected genotypes exhibited high heritability and genetic gain for green forage yield, indicating their stability and desirability. The strength-weakness plot showed that all selected genotypes were weak contributors to the MGIDI for all traits. This indicates that these genotypes are stable and closer to the ideotype, making them ideal candidates for breeding programs aimed at improving these traits.