RELATIONSHIP OF PLANT HEIGHT, DAYS TO FLOWERING AND MATURITY TO GRAIN YIELD IN SHORT-DURATION DETERMINATE PIGEONPEA

Abstract

Generally, pigeonpeas of determinate growth habit and short duration are of short stature compared to the traditional indeterminate types. The association of plant height, days to flowering and maturity, and grain yield were assessed among 100 determinate short-duration pigeonpea lines derived from different genetic backgrounds. Plant height and days to maturity showed strong positive genotypic and phenotypic correlation with grain yield. Days to flowering was positively correlated with days to maturity and plant height. Tall determinate plants appeared to be promising for grain yield. However, the existence of a positive association between plant height and growth duration may cause difficulties in the selection of early flowering tall plants. Nonetheless, high selection pressure for medium to tall determinate plants among early-flowering segregatesmayyield more productive genotypes.