CLUSTER ANALYSIS OF CROSSING COMPONENTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW DROUGHT-TOLERANT HYBRIDS OF GRAIN SORGHUM

Abstract

In order to develop stress tolerant sorghum hybrids, one of the important
stages is the selection of drought-tolerant components of crosses with the necessary complex
of economically valuable traits. For this purpose, the breeder has to consider a huge amount
of parameters of the studied traits in a large number of genotypes. The aim of the research is
to identify parental forms (CMS lines and pollinators), which are characterized by a complex
of physiological and breeding characteristics for inclusion in the breeding process for the
development of drought-tolerant F1 hybrids of grain sorghum. In this paper, one of the
methods of multivariate statistical analysis was used – clustering of parent material (28
samples in total), which allowed grouping parent components by 15 characteristics. Female
and male lines were grown in 2022 on the experimental field of “Rossorgo”. As a result, 8
clusters were identified: the first included 5 CMS-lines (A2 KVV 181, A2 Karlik 4v, A3
Karlik 4 v, A5 Karlik 4 v, A6 Karlik 4 v); the second – 7 pollinators and 4 CMS-lines; the
third – the sterile line A2 Vostorg; the fourth – 4 CMS-lines (A3 Zheltozyornoe 10, A4
Zheltozyornoe 10, 9E Zheltozyornoe 10, A3 Feterita 14); the fifth – the sterile line A2
Sudzern; the sixth – 2 varieties (RSK Kakholong, RSK Korall); the seventh – 2 varieties
(RSK Infinity, Prince) and the sterile line A1 Efremovskoe 2; the eighth was the sterile line
A2 KVV 114. For further selective breeding of new drought- tolerant and productive hybrids
of the first generation, 17 genotypes of parental forms should be used. They have a set of the
required physiological, morphological characteristics and yield. These components of crosses
are included in the second, sixth, seventh and eighth clusters.