Evaluation of genetic diversity, agronomic traits, and anthracnose resistance in the NPGS Sudan Sorghum Core collection

Table 3 Phenotypic characterization of the five populations in the NPGS Sudan core collection evaluated at Isabela and Mayaguez, Puerto Rico in 2014 and 2016, respectively

Reference accessions	Phenotypic traits^a					D locus^f
Reference accessions	Flowering time (days)^b	Plant height (cm)^c	Panicle length (cm)^d	Panicle diameter (cm)^e	Panicle length/panicle diameter ratio	D locus^f
RTx430	74.50 ± 2.38	090.83 ± 9.19	20.00 ± 2.50	3.50 ± 0.61	06.05 ± 0.63	n.a.
RTx2911	70.40 ± 1.66	093.20 ± 6.37	24.17 ± 1.44	2.33 ± 0.35	10.73 ± 0.56	n.a.
BTx623	75.50 ± 1.94	109.00 ± 6.76	18.67 ± 1.61	3.17 ± 0.39	06.13 ± 0.63	n.a.
SC748–5	68.13 ± 1.94	091.50 ± 8.72	19.25 ± 1.77	4.75 ± 0.43	04.38 ± 0.69	n.a.
SC112–14	61.75 ± 1.94	089.75 ± 7.12	14.50 ± 1.77	4.25 ± 0.43	03.53 ± 0.69	n.a.
Sudan germplasm
Population	***	***	***	***	***	n.a.
Location	***	***	***	***	***	n.a.
Population × Location	**	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	n.s.	n.a.
Population 1	59.40 ± 1.23 bc	151.63 ± 5.25 abc	22.52 ± 1.24 a	4.18 ± 0.26 ab	5.83 ± 0.36 a	1.00
Population 2	65.12 ± 0.67 a	153.02 ± 2.95 ab	19.20 ± 0.61 abc	4.46 ± 0.13 a	4.53 ± 0.18 b	0.49
Population 3	61.47 ± 1.07 b	145.15 ± 4.35 bc	17.99 ± 0.94 bc	3.43 ± 0.20 b	5.77 ± 0.27 a	0.86
Population 4	58.28 ± 0.97 bc	137.72 ± 4.29 c	16.28 ± 0.85 c	3.73 ± 0.18 b	4.60 ± 0.24 ab	0.94
Population 5	56.83 ± 0.55 c	142.79 ± 2.25 c	17.98 ± 0.50 bc	3.95 ± 0.10 b	4.83 ± 0.14 ab	0.36
Admixture	59.65 ± 0.55 b	159.00 ± 1.75 a	19.46 ± 0.37 ab	4.06 ± 0.08 ab	5.17 ± 0.11 a	0.82

^aData represent mean ± standard error (SE). Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05; Tukey-Kramer HSD test)
^bFlowering time refers to the number of days until 50% of the plants in a plot reached anthesis
^cPlant height refers to the distance from the base of the main stalk to the top of the panicle
^dPanicle length refers to the distance from the base to the top of the panicle
^ePanicle diameter refers to the widest region of the panicle
^fD locus refer to the frequency of colorless midrib
n.s., ** and *** refers to no significant, and significant effects at p ≤ 0.01, and 0.001, respectively