Correlation analysis of some agronomic traits for biomass improvement in sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor L. Moench) genotypes in North-Western Nigeria

Ten Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) land races of North Western, Nigerian origin were evaluated during 2010 at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, teaching and research farm, Sokoto, Sokoto State and during the 2011 rainy season at Bubuche in Augie Local Government Area, Kebbi State in North- Western Nigeria. The objective of the study was to determine the correlation between the traits of sorghum that have direct bearing with biomass improvement. The procedure outlined in the IBGR/ICRISAT sorghum descriptor was used to measure each trait. Results obtained revealed that, leaf number (LN) has significant positive correlation with plant height (r=0.275), leaf area index (LAI) (r=0.308), and straw weight (STRW) (r=0.433) but negative significant correlation with flag leaf area (FLA) (r= -0.401). Leaf length (LL) had significant positive correlation with flag leaf length (FLL) (r= 0.299) and straw weight (STRW) (r=0.516). Plant height (PH) recorded significant positive correlation with leaf number (LN) (r=0.275) and STRW (r=0.360) but negatively correlated with FLL (r=0.118) and total grain yield (TGY) (r=0.102). LAI has significant positive with LN (r=0.308), PH (r=0.274) and negatively correlated with hundred grain weight (HUNDGWT) (r= -0.158) and TGY (r= -0.190). FLA had significant positive correlation with only FLL (r=0.266) and significantly negatively correlated with LN (r= -0.401), and STRW (r= -0.540). STRW has the significant and positive correlation with LN (r=0.433), with LL (r=0.516) and PH (r=0.360) but significantly and positively correlated with only FLA (r= -0.540). Selection for straw weight can therefore be carried out simultaneously with plant height, leaf length and leaf number.