Abstract

The economic importance of the tillering habit in cereals is not new to the plant breeder and studies on the inter- relationship between the tillers and the main culms of cereals have received some attention in the past. In Setaria italica Beauv., (the Italian Millet) three high yielding strains Co. 1 and Co. 3 with free tillering and Co. 2 with stray-tillering habits have been evolved by pure line selection at the Millets and Pulses Breeding Station, Coimbatore. Work done on the inheritance of this habit has indicated that it is not only heriditary but also influenced by evironment to certain extent (Charles Ratnaswamy 1956-'57). The tillers not only develop from the base of the main culm but also from the nodes higher up on the main culm and the tillers. In the early stages of growth whenever the basal nodes come in contact with the soil, the roots from this region are induced to grow and function as normal ones and the axillary buds from the basal nodes develop into tillers. The tillers which develop from the base have direct contact with the soil through the adventitious roots developed later from their basal nodes, whereas those which develop from nodes a few inches above, do not contact the soil through roots. In a free-tillering variety the total number of tillers produced may be upto fifteen and varieties which do not tiller are also common. Interest in the possibilities of improving the productive capacity of a crop has increased during the recent years and the primary object of the plant breeder being to exploit the resources of yield potential of a particular crop, a study on the fundamental aspect of the tillering habit in Setaria italica Beauv., was taken up to find out information which can be focussed on the improvement of this crop.

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