A Amsalu

Bio: A Amsalu is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Diallel cross & Panicle. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 11 citations.

Combining Ability for Yield and its Components in Ethiopian Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) Landraces

Abstract: Crossing sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] obtained from different areas of Ethiopia were done in 2004/05 cropping season. In 2005/06 evaluation of 15 F1s with their parents were done in a randomized complete block design with three replications at Bako. The study was conducted to estimate combining ability and determine type of gene actions involved in the inheritance of yield and yield components traits. Analysis of variance revealed that mean squares due to genotypes, parents and crosses were highly significant (P<0.01) for all the traits except for 100 kernel weight that were significant for crosses. Mean squares due to general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) were highly significant for all characters studied, except non significant SCA for 100 kernel weight. For yield, three of the parents, 212646, 69543 and 69193 had the best general combiner and incorporating these parents for grain yield per panicle in sorghum breeding may be importatnt. Based on specific combining ability analysis for grain yield per panicle five hybrids 69543 x 223506, 212646 x 223506, 97MW5122 x 212646, 97MW5122 x 69543 and 212646 x 69193 were the best in the experiment. The estimate of variance components showed that the variance due to SCA was higher in magnitude than GCA in the case of days to maturity, panicle width, panicle weight, kernel number per panicle and grain yield. Therefore, these traits were predominantly under the control of non-additive type of gene actions. Whereas variance of GCA was higher than SCA in the case of days to flowering, plant height, leaf number per plant, leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, panicle length and 100 kernel weight indicating that additive type of gene action was playing a greater role in the inheritance of these traits. Keywords: Combining Ability; Diallel; Gene Action; Sorghum bicolor

Quantitative genetic analysis of agronomic and morphological traits in sorghum, Sorghum bicolor.

Abstract: The productivity in sorghum is low, owing to various biotic and abiotic constraints. Combining insect resistance with desirable agronomic and morphological traits is important to increase sorghum productivity. Therefore, it is important to understand the variability for various agronomic traits, their heritabilities and nature of gene action to develop appropriate strategies for crop improvement. Therefore, a full diallel set of 10 parents and their 90 crosses including reciprocals were evaluated in replicated trials during the 2013-14 rainy and postrainy seasons. The crosses between the parents with early- and late-flowering flowered early, indicating dominance of earliness for anthesis in the test material used. Association between the shoot fly resistance, morphological and agronomic traits suggested complex interactions between shoot fly resistance and morphological traits. Significance of the mean sum of squares for GCA (general combining ability) and SCA (specific combining ability) of all the studied traits suggested the importance of both additive and non-additive components in inheritance of these traits. The GCA/SCA, and the predictability ratios indicated predominance of additive gene effects for majority of the traits studied. High broad-sense and narrow-sense heritability estimates were observed for most of the morphological and agronomic traits. The significance of reciprocal combining ability effects for days to 50% flowering, plant height and 100 seed weight, suggested maternal effects for inheritance of these traits. Plant height and grain yield across seasons, days to 50% flowering, inflorescence exsertion and panicle shape in the postrainy season showed greater specific combining ability variance, indicating the predominance of non-additive type of gene action/epistatic interactions in controlling the expression of these traits. Additive gene action in the rainy season, and dominance in the postrainy season for days to 50% flowering and plant height suggested G X E interactions for these traits.

Control strategies and breeding efforts in sorghum for resistance to storage weevils

Abstract: Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is one of the main staple cereal crops grown worldwide. It is used for food, feed, fodder and bio-ethanol. Biotic and abiotic challenges are the major constraints of the crop. Among the biotic constraints, weevil attack is the most devastating causing yield reduction ranging between 15 and 77%. This paper highlights control strategies and progresses of breeding sorghum towards improved yield and weevil resistance. The use of resistant varieties is an economically feasible, technically easy and environmentally friendly alternative to minimize losses due to storage insect pests. Breeding for post-harvest insect pest resistance is the most important component to improve yield and reduce the impact of weevils. Also to combine resistance to post-harvest insect pests with other desirable plant characters such as high yield, and good quality to provide the basic foundation on which to build an integrated pest management system. Estimation of combining ability to resistance to weevils in sorghum helps in selection of good combiners, and the nature of gene action involved. Marker assisted breeding could have a complementary role in sorghum breeding for introgression of resistance genes and their fast enhancement in succeeding generations in the breeding programmes. This review provides theoretical bases on the progress of breeding sorghum for weevil resistance and control strategies. Key words: Breeding, insect pests, resistance, sorghum, weevils.

Breeding tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) trotter] for drought tolerance in Northern Ethiopia.

Abstract: Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Breeding. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.

Assessment of Drought Tolerance, Earliness and Grain Yield in South Sudan Sorghum Germplasm and Icrisat Lines

Abstract: The development of staygreen genotypes through hybridization is an important food security strategy in the semi-arid tropics. This study used 36 sorghum synthetics obtained from a 6 x 6 full diallel mating design. The parents, F1 progenies and their reciprocals showed significant difference for days to flowering suggesting their diversity with regard to this triat. There were significant differences among the maternal and non-maternal effects implying that maternal genes play a greater role in regulating maturity. There were higher genetic predictability ratios for days to flowering, panicle weight and grain weight, suggesting that additive gene action played a bigger role than non-additive genes in the control of these traits. The study identified parental lines, ICSV III IN, B5 and Macia as exhibiting earliness that can be exploited in the breeding program for drought evading hybrids. Similarly, the F1 crosses B35 x Okabir, Lodoka x B35, Okabir x Macia, ICSV II IN x Macia, ICSV III IN x Akuorachot, Lodoka x Akuorachot and Lodoka x Okabir were identified as drought evading synthetics while F1 crosses, B35 x Akuorachot, B35 x Macia, Lodoka x B35, ICSV III IN x Macia, and Lodoka x Macia were identified as high yielding synthetics.

Multi-locations evaluation of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) genotypes for grain yield and yield related traits at western Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract: A field experiment was conducted on twelve sorghum genotypes against one local and two standard checks at Haro Sabu Agricultural Research Center (HSARC) sub sites for three consecutive years (2016-2018) using randomized completely block design (RCBD) to evaluate and select high yielding sorghum genotypes and to assess the impact of genotype by environmental interaction on grain yield and yield components across diverse growing environments of western Oromia. Eight agronomic traits and three economically important disease reaction were collected depending on the crop descriptor. Pooled over locations analysis of variance detected significance difference among tested genotypes for all collected traits. Genotype by environment interactions (G×E) significantly affected all recorded traits excluding days to heading and thousand seed weight. Genotype and genotype by environment interaction (GGE) bi-plot analysis revealed that G3, G11 and G12 as ideal genotypes in terms of yielding ability and stability and were promoted as candidates for possible release and use as genetic resource in future breeding programs. Key words: Sorghum bicolor L., Genotype by environment interactions (G×E), Genotype and genotype by environment interaction (GGE) bi-plot, stability.