Morpho-physiological characterisation of finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn)

The field experiment was conducted during Kharif 2024 season with an objective to study the morpho-physiological characters in genotypes of Finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn). The experiment was laid out with forty finger millet genotypes including one check GPU-67 in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. The morphological, physiological characters included were growth parameter (at 45, 60, 90 DAS) and growth rates (for intervals of 45-60 DAS and 60-90 DAS.) measured to characterize finger millet genotypes. It’s revealed that the morphological, physiological growth parameter were significantly differences among genotypes. The overall superiority was exhibited by IC-475301, followed by IC-0475519, IC-474069, IC-012985 and IC-475260. Comparing the forty entries, IC-475301 and IC-0475519 had the highest grain yield per plant. Therefore, the entries of IC-475301 and IC-0475519 performed superior and were identified suitable entries for growing under field conditions. The findings from the present investigation offer valuable insights for finger millet improvement programs. The incorporation of morpho-physiological traits such as chlorophyll index, LAI, CGR, RGR, and NAR, along with traditional yield-contributing traits, provides a robust framework for identifying high-yielding genotypes with superior physiological efficiency.