Genetic Gain Over 39 Years Breeding in Lowland Sorghum varieties

Information on genetic gain achieved over time from a breeding program is absolutely essential to develop effective and efficient breeding strategies by assessing the efficiency of past improvement works in genetic yield potential and suggest on future selection direction to facilitate further improvement. The regression analysis demonstrated an increase in estimated average annual rate in grain yield potential of 27.5 and 29.46 kg ha-1 year-1 with an annual relative genetic change of 0.78 and 1.01% yr-1 at Melkassa and Mieso, respectively. The results signify important efforts of the past breeding program and, also, absence of plateau which, in turn, imply the potential for further improvement in grain yield of sorghum. In general, this book provides a comprehensive explanation and appraisal information generated from the genetic improvement on released sorghum varieties in Ethiopia could serve as baseline to generate reliable information regarding genetic improvement and morpho-physiological characters associated with genetic progress and crop breeding programme.