Characters of Pennisetum spp. used for the initial selection in the genetic improvement program for elephant grass

Abstract

The present study was carried out at the Experimental Station of the Agronomical Institute of Pernambuco (IPA) in Itambé-PE to analyse different characters for the initial selection of Pennisetum spp. clones based on the coefficient of repeatability and the number of measurements required to predict their genotypic values (with a coefficient of determination R2 = 0.80). Considering the high number of genotypes in Phase I of the genetic improvement program and the requirement to reduce this number before progression to Phase II, it is relevant to identify characters with high genotypic values, which are easy to measure or acquire and that can be used in the initial selection. Therefore, we chose to evaluate the coefficient of repeatability and the number of measurements necessary to predict the genotypic values of 23 characters, either morphological or productive, of 472 Pennisetum spp. clones, in non-repeated plots. The coefficient of repeatability was estimated using the components of the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Dry matter concentration, leaf blade colour, midrib colour, leaf sheath colour, and internode colour were less affected by environmental conditions, and it was possible to predict their genotypic values (R2 = 0.80) with a maximum of four measurements, indicating that these characters are predictable and reliable for initial selection of Pennisetum spp.