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Effects of Height Mutations on Grain Yield in Sorghum 1
Author(s) -
Hadley Henry H.,
Freeman J. E.,
Javier E. Q.
Publication year - 1965
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1965.0011183x000500010005x
Subject(s) - library science , grain yield , george (robot) , biology , crop , sorghum , citation , horticulture , computer science , agronomy , art history , history
DWARF mutations have played an important role in the development of grain sorghum (Sorghum vulgare Pers.) varieties in the United States. The phenotypic expression of reduced plant height caused by these mutations is obviously advantageous for mechanical harvesting. However, mutations frequently produce several phenotypic expressions, some of which may not be advantageous and others of which may not be obvious. Thus, the genes for brachytic dwarfness exploited by the sorghum breeder may have certain disadvantages which either are not obvious or are not sufficiently great to offset their advantages. Comparisons of mutant genes for dwarfness in existing varieties with their ancestral "normal" genes for tallness in old varieties are difficult to make. Numerous genetic differences between the new and the old varieties likely exist at other than the major loci affecting internode length. However, tall mutants which have occurred in long time inbred lines of sorghum can be compared with the dwarf lines from which they arose. Comparisons between the mutant and parental lines might indicate whether or not genes for brachytic dwarfism in sorghum are inferior to their "normal" alleles for yield and other quantitative characters. The purpose of this paper is to report the results of attempts to determine whether or not certain tall mutants are superior to the dwarfs from which they arose in respect to grain yield and several other quantitative characters in different genetic types of grain sorghum.