European Journal of Biotechnology and Bioscience

Authors
K Aparna, Zuby Gohar Ansari, P Sudhakar

Abstract
Finger Millet, known locally as Ragi in the Indian sub-continent is mostly cultivated as a base crop in a mixed cropping. The crop is mostly cultivated in sub-marginal lands under limited moisture conditions. Hence, the present investigation was aimed at screening the relative performance of 10 finger millet genotypes (seven pre-release like viz., PPR-1012, PPR-2883, PPR-2773, BR-36, PPR-1044, PPR-1040, PR-10-30 and three released Sri Chaitanya, Vakula and Hima) at Agricultural Research Station, Perumallapalli, Tirupati during kharif season, 2015-16.The experiment was laid out as Factorial Randomized Block Design with three replications. It includes two main treatments i.e., one irrigated (control) and another rainfed (no irrigation provided except life-saving irrigation at sowing) and sub treatments (10 genotypes). The development of drought resistant cultivars depends on the identification of traits that can be used in a breeding and selection program. For most crops, there is need to evaluate those traits that are inherent in drought stress resistant genotypes and are based on a plant’s morphology, physiology and anatomy (Eureka, 2000). Water use efficiency traits mainly include two components i.e., SLA and SPAD and other drought tolerant traits consists of four parameters viz., CSI, RWC, Root length and Proline. Among these genotypes BR-36, PPR-1012, PPR-2773 and Vakula genotypes recorded higher water use efficiency and other drought tolerant traits, lowest genotypes is Hima under kharif rainfed conditions.