Assessment of genetic variability in finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.)

Finger millet, a nutri-cereal is grown for both food and fodder. Knowledge on genetic variability and heritability of yield contributing traits is important for efficient planning of crop improvement programme. In this endeavour, 18 finger millet lines were studied to assess the amount of genetic variability. Analysis of variance for 18 finger millet breeding lines revealed significant variation for all the yield contributing and yield devastating traits indicating presence of variability for selection to operate. High broad sense heritability and GAM were recorded for disease parameters while days to 50% flowering, days to maturity and grain yield recorded high heritability with moderate GAM. This clearly indicated that disease reaction is highly heritable with additive gene action which can be used as selection criterion for attaining disease resistant lines. Grain yield was observed to have moderate heritability with moderate GAM indicating preponderance of both additive and non additive gene action. This trait can be selected by selecting against finger blast, neck blast and banded blight which are highly heritable and strongly negatively associated with grain yield.