Exotic Germplasm Use in Grain Sorghum Improvement 1

Eight fertility restorer lines developed from African introductions were crossed with four male sterile lines to produce 32 hybrids. Four check hybrids were included and the 36 hybrids were evaluated for yield, seed size, seed density, and various quality characteristics. The data reported indicates that large‐seeded parents produced the highest yielding hybrids, however, all sets of exotic hybrids produced larger seed than the checks. Some exotic hybrids produced 50% more protein than the checks. Considerable variations in starch, fat and fiber showed that a great potential exists for improving the quality of grain sorghum.