Evaluation and Utilization of Sorghum Germ-Plasm

Abstract

The development of hybrid maize in Kenya (Eberhart et al., 1967) has shown how systematic evaluation and utilization of the genetic diversity of local and exotic material can result in substantial increases of crop yields. A widely represented germ-plasm bank may also be a valuable source of genes for the more simply inherited characters, such as resistance to pathogens and pests, and other environmental constraints which reduce yield. Consequently, the assembly, evaluation and utilization of collections are important aspects of most crop improvement programmes. The routine maintenance of even an average size collection may, however, be unjustifiably costly in the absence of a system for turning it into an exploitable source of breeding material.