Abstract

S. Ramesh Kumar and G. Mohamed Yassin

In grain amaranthus (Amaranthus hypochondriacusL.) ten genotypes were evaluated for ten characters under four plant density levels viz., very high (D1), high (D2), normal (D3) and low plant density (D4) levels to study the stability parameters. The study was conducted at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute, Karaikal during November 2007 to 2008. The results revealed that, the genotypes Annapurna was identified as stable genotype for grain yield in all the four plant density levels. The genotypes BGA 2, GA 2 and IC 415290 recorded stable performance for total carbohydrates and protein content and could be utilized for improvement of these traits in breeding programme. The genotype GA 2 showed stable performance for fresh weight of the inflorescence, an important trait influencing the grain yield in all the four plant density levels. Similarly, SKNA 601 can be chosen as stable genotype for leaf area at 50% flowering, an important selection parameter for yield improvement in all the plant density levels. Among the characters studied, length of the rachis per inflorescence, total carbohydrates and protein content were found to be relatively stable in all the four plant density levels.