SELECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF S6 LINES IN WHITE GRAIN SORGE IN SAN PEDRO COMITANCILLO, OAXACA

Abstract

: In Oaxaca, an area of 20,766 hectares of grain sorghum was planted in 2018, with 91.4 % of this area corresponding to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region. 98% is cultivated with hybrids and the rest with open-pollinated varieties. In order to avoid dependence on improved seeds, at the Technological Institute of Comitancillo, a genetic improvement program has been started through the selection of white grain populations. The production of white grain sorghum represents a great opportunity due to its higher protein content and being a stimulus or condition for a better harvest price compared to red grain sorghum. The objective of this work was to select and characterize lines in S6 of populations of white sorghum, for the creation of open-pollinated varieties or progenitors of hybrids under local conditions. In the spring-summer 2018 agricultural cycle, a total of 114 lines generated in a previous year were evaluated. 26 % of the germplasm presented a grain yield of 3.82 ton/ha, the panicle length ranged from 14.8 to 25 cm, the panicle diameter was 2 to 8.4 cm, in weight of 1000 grains 22.6 to 40 g, grains per panicle from 855 to 2400. It is recommended to increase seeds of the outstanding lines, to carry out yield tests and establish validation plots with regional producers.