PJB-2007-168
MORPHO-GENETIC VARIABILITY POTENTIAL OF CENCHRUS CILIARIS L., FROM CHOLISTAN DESERT, PAKISTAN
MOHAMMAD ARSHAD1, MUHAMMAD YASIN ASHRAF2, MAQSOOD AHAMAD3 AND FAKHAR ZAMAN4
Abstract
Twenty accessions of perennial range grass Cenchrus ciliaris L., collected from different habitats of Cholistan desert were evaluated on the basis of morphological characters. Wide range of variation was recorded among these accessions. Data recorded on morphological characters were analysed by using principal component analysis and all the accessions gathered into five groups. The biggest and smallest groups were represented by eleven and two accessions, respectively. The germplasm collected from different sites of Cholistan desert, though grouped into the same group, exhibited morphological variation. Keeping in view the prominent characters associated with PC2 and PC1 the accession number 14 collected from “Shaheeda Wala Toba”, accession number 8 from “Cheepan Wala Toba”, accession number 5 from desert area of 43/D.B (Yazman) and accession number 2 & 4 collected from Lal Suhanra appeared as the best accessions according to days taken to earing, number of tillers per plant, number of internodes on main tiller, number of leaves on main tiller, fresh weight of the plant, total number of branches per plant, height of the plant, leaf area, number of leaves on main tiller, part of internode covered by leaf sheath, total number of branches per plant and number of reproductive branches per plant. It is emphasized that the germplasm of Cenchrus ciliaris L. adapted in hot and punishing climate of Cholistan desert has a lot of potential for its further evaluation against multiple stresses such as drought, salinity and high temperature to sort out the best genotypes, which ultimately will be helpful in greening the degraded rangelands of Cholistan desert.
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