CHARACTERIZATION OF BROOM SORGHUM ACCESSIONS USING MORPHO-AGRONOMIC DESCRIPTORS

Resumo

The straw broom production is a traditional and very old activity
among small farmers in Brazil. Much of the straw broom production is
manufactured with native species, which in turn are in the process of being
extinct. The objective of this work was to evaluate the genetic diversity and
to characterize one sample of broom sorghum germplasm constituted of 66
accessions. The experiment was carried out in Viçosa, MG, in a randomized
block design with two replicates, being each plot composed of one 5 m row,
with 0.7 m spacing, where eight morpho-agronomic traits were evaluated.
The studied accessions presented genetic variability for most of the traits.
The accessions 2, 7 and 16 presented the lowest plant heights. Regarding
stem diameter, accessions 7, 11, and 13 presented the highest values. As
to the number of days from emergence to flowering, the accessions 42, 65,
and 66 were the earliest ones. Based on the evaluations carried out, it can be
concluded that accessions 2, 7, 11, 13, 42, 65, and 66 are the most promising
for new studies and launches.