Association between seed production traits in Urochloa spp.

Abstract

Urochloa spp. are excellent perennial forages and are among the best grasses for livestock production. The seed yield is an important trait because it impacts the seed production cost and, consequently, the cost of establishing pastures. The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic correlation between traits related to seed production in Urochloa spp. The experiment was evaluated in 2019 and 2020. Eight traits related with seed production were evaluated for 23 tetraploid progenies obtained by crossing Urochloa brizantha × Urochloa ruziziensis. There were positive correlations of high magnitude between the characters, allowing indirect selection. Two progenies showed better results in traits directly related to seed production. Days to flowering can influence the rate of seed production. The highest value for grain percentage was 20.31%.