Abstract

The leaves are indispensable for plants for synthesis of plant food and number of leaves and leaf area have been found to have a bearing on yield. As the measurement of the total leaf area is practically impossible, it has been the custom particularly in millets to record the area of the leaf at a given position on the main shoot to represent the total leaf area of the plant. For example in Sorghum and Ragi the measurement of area of the fourth leaf from top has been in vogue. There are no previous results available on which this practice is based. The present investigation has, therefore, been aimed at determining the position of the single leaf which is most representative of the total leaf area of the plant in ragi. In addition, the relationship between the grain yield and various yield components was also studied to evaluate the relative contribution of the various characters to the grain yield.

Keywords: