Sorghum [ Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is one of the major food crops serving millions of people in the semi-arid regions of the world but its production is curtailed by anthracnose, among other challenges. Breeding high yielding and anthracnose resistant sorghum cultivars is an overriding goal for water-limited environments that experience high humid conditions, including Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to assess genetic variation among Ethiopian sorghum landrace accessions based on agro-morphological traits and anthracnose resistance, aiming to select promising genotypes for breeding. Three hundred and sixty six sorghum landrace accessions and three check cultivars were evaluated at the Bako Agricultural Research Center in western Ethiopia for 2 years. Data on 11 agro-morphological traits and anthracnose reaction were collected. The analysis of variance indicated that the genotype main effects were highly significant ( P ≤ 0.01) for all the assessed traits. Hierarchical clustering using the phenotypic trait data grouped the accessions into five major clusters. The five clusters contained genotypes sourced from different geographical origins, and two accessions that did not belong to any particular cluster. The phenotypic coefficient of variation was higher than the corresponding genotypic coefficient of variation for all traits, reflecting the confounding effect of environment and genotype interactions in the observed variation. Panicle length, anthracnose reaction and fresh biomass yield had relatively higher heritability and high expected genetic advance, suggesting that these traits could be improved by direct selection. Path coefficient analysis indicated that harvest index and fresh biomass had the strongest direct effects on grain yield. Accessions 71559, 71571, 71425, 71644, 243645, 71524, 70161, 204622, 71653 and 71551 were the best performers in grain yield, yield components and anthracnose resistance. These accessions are selected for yield and anthracnose improvement in sorghum breeding programs.

中文翻译：

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埃塞俄比亚高粱地方品种主要农业形态性状和炭疽病抗性的遗传变异性

高粱 [ Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] 是为世界半干旱地区数百万人提供服务的主要粮食作物之一，但其生产受到炭疽病等挑战的限制。培育高产且抗炭疽病的高粱品种是包括埃塞俄比亚在内的高湿度缺水环境的首要目标。本研究的目的是基于农业形态特征和炭疽病抗性评估埃塞俄比亚高粱地方品种之间的遗传变异，旨在选择有前景的基因型进行育种。在埃塞俄比亚西部的巴科农业研究中心对 366 种高粱地方品种和三个对照品种进行了为期 2 年的评估。收集了 11 个农业形态性状和炭疽病反应的数据。方差分析表明，所有评估性状的基因型主效应都非常显着（ P ≤ 0.01）。使用表型特征数据的分层聚类将种质分为五个主要聚类。这五个簇包含来自不同地理起源的基因型，以及两个不属于任何特定簇的种质。所有性状的表型变异系数都高于相应的基因型变异系数，反映了环境和基因型相互作用在观察到的变异中的混杂效应。穗长、炭疽病反应和新鲜生物质产量具有相对较高的遗传力和较高的遗传进步预期，表明这些性状可以通过直接选择进行改良。通径系数分析表明，收获指数和新鲜生物量对粮食产量的直接影响最强。种质 71559、71571、71425、71644、243645、71524、70161、204622、71653 和 71551 在粮食产量、产量构成和炭疽病抗性方面表现最好。选择这些种质以提高高粱育种计划中的产量和炭疽病。