Articles - Green Reports

Abstract

Knowledge of heritability, genetic advance and association existing between different traits determine the progress of selection in crop improvement. Therefore, the present study was carried out to assess the magnitude of heritability, genetic advance for grain yield and yield related traits of tef genotypes and to evaluate the association among these traits. Eighteen tef genotypes were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four replications at Holetta agricultural research center in central highland of Ethiopia. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant genotypic difference for most of evaluated traits. Very high broad-sense heritability estimates were observed for days to panicle emergency (95.85%), plant height (92.70%), panicle length (91.89%), harvest index (90.48%) and shoot biomass (80.88%). Moderately high broad-sense heritability estimate value was recorded for grain yield (70.27%) and lodging index (78.80%). Genetic advance in percent of mean were ranged from 4.59 (days to maturity) to 21.87 % (panicle length). High heritability combined with high genetic advance was observed for panicle length indicates the dominance of additive gene action in governing the trait. Moderately high heritability with moderate estimates of genetic advance were observed for plant height, grain yield, harvest index and lodging index. Panicle length, plant height and shoot biomass had a positive and significant genotypic correlation with grain yield. The heritability estimates were also higher for these traits than for grain yield itself. Hence, indirect selection for tef grain yield improvement by use of plant height, panicle length and shoot biomass would be effective.