Performance Evaluation and Release of High-Yielding Dual-Purpose Rabi Sorghum Culture Tandur Jonna 1' (SVT 68) for Cultivation in Telangana, India

Aims: To develop a high yielding dual purpose Rabi sorghum culture suitable for the state of Telangana.

Study of Design: Randomized Block Design.

Place and Duration of Study: The Present study was conducted at Agricultural
Research Station, Tandur, Vikarabad from 2007 to 2013 to breed the culture SVT 68 and subsequently evaluated in different trials from 2014 to 2021.

Methodology: A high yielding, dual purpose Rabi sorghum variety was derived from a cross between PV 15 x CSV 216R through Pedigree method of breeding and subsequently it was evaluated instation level from 2014 – 2016, AICRP trial in 2017-18 in, state MLT in 2018-19, Minikits in 2019-2021 for its grain and fodder yields, resistance to pests and diseases and showed superior performance over the Popular check M 35-1.

Results: The high yielding dual purpose Rabi sorghum culture SVT 68 recorded an average grain yield of 2993 kg/ha and fodder yield of 9258 kg/ha with an increase of grain yield of 17.3 per cent and fodder yield of 20.4 per cent, over the popular check M 35-1. The culture is moderately resistant to charcoal rot, shoot fly, tolerant to leaf blight and rust and on par with M 35-1 with respect to stem borer and aphid damage. It has high crude fibre content (2.71) and rich in micro nutrients Iron (41.86 mg/kg), Zinc (26.67 mg/kg) and Calcium (177.60 mg/kg).

Conclusion: Owing to its superiority in terms of grain, fodder yields, pest, disease tolerance, nutritional quality, agronomic performance, higher net returns depicted in the form of Benefit cost ratio, the culture SVT 68 was released during 2021 in the name of Tandur Jonna 1 and notified for general cultivation by farmers in Telangana state.