Studies on Morphological Qualitative (DUS) characters in Barnyard millet genotypes during kharif-2023 and summer-2024 season

Barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea) is one of the quickest growing minor cereal crops grown by tribal and poor farmers in marginal soils under rainfed conditions. In the present study, eighteen barnyard millet genotypes including two check varieties (Phule Barti-1 and DHBM-93-3) were evaluated during Kharif 2023 and summer 2024 with Randomized Block Design having three replications with spacing 30 cm x 10 cm, for seven key morphological Qualitative (DUS) characters such as Plant: Growth habit, Inflorescence: Colour, Plant: Pigmentation at leaf sheath, Inflorescence: Shape, Lodging, Grain colour and Panicle: Compactness. The genotypes of barnyard millet examined during Kharif and Summer season show considerable diversity in morphological qualitative traits. Traits such as pyramidical inflorescence shape, green inflorescence colour, erect growth habit, light gray grain colour and intermediate panicle compactness were dominant in the population, which are desirable features for grain productivity and harvestability. The absence of lodging in the majority of genotypes and plant pigmentation at leaf sheath were present codomintaly during the kharif and summer season.