J.of Curr Crop Sci. Technol., 2022; https://doi.org/10.29321/MAJ.10.000655 165 109| Special | RESEARCH ARTICLE Evaluation of Dhaincha Genotypes Based on Seedling Biomass Yield Sumaiya Sulthana J* and Chitra S *Department of Plant breeding and Genetics, Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research institute, Tiruchirappalli 620 027 ABSTRACT To improve the fertility of the soil, several green manure crops are being cultivated. Dhaincha, is an ideal green manure crop used for the improvement of soil fertility and it also reclaims problematic soils. To screen out the Dhaincha genotypes based on the seedling biomass, a pot culture experiment was carried out at the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tiruchirappalli, with four different genotypes namely Vellore local, Villupuram local, Sivagangai local and Pant dhaincha. Root length, shoot length, fresh and dry weight of root & shoot, base diameter, and biomass per plant were recorded at ten day of intervals till sixty days after sowing. All the parameters showed significant variation and increased steadily every ten days after sowing. Sivagangai local recorded the highest growth parameters than the other genotypes. The highest biomass yield was observed in Villupuram local (0.029 g/plant) at 10 DAS, indicating that it produces more biomass during the early stages of growth. At 60 DAS, Vellore local recorded a high total biomass yield (2.3 g/plant), followed by Villupuram local (1.2 g/plant), Sivagangai local (1.08 g/ plant), and Pant dhaincha (0.9 g/ plant). Based on the growth parameters and High biomass yield per plant Sivagangai local and Vellore local can be selected for further crossing programmes. Keywords: Dhaincha; Biomass yield; Green manure; Soil fertility Corresponding author mail Id: sumaiyasulthana1998@gmail.com INTRODUCTION Dhaincha [Sesbania spp.] belongs to the family Leguminosae and is the best green manure crop as it is fast-growing, succulent, easily decomposable, and has utmost tolerance to drought and water- logged conditions. It can grow in a wide range of soil conditions and it is one of the best sources of organic matter which improves the fertility of the nutrient deficit soil. Soil Organic Matter (SOM) enhances the aeration of the soil, and moisture retention capacity by releasing nutrients (Chanda et al., 2021). SOM has declined to 0.3 - 0.4 per cent in the cultivable lands of India. This makes the land lose its fertility and it becomes unproductive. Several green manure crops are being cultivated and incorporated into the soil to overcome these issues. Green manure crops prevent the soil from erosion, provide essential nutrients, and improve the properties of the soil, leading to the crops’ sustainability. Dhaincha has soft, tender stems which decompose readily in soil but become hard at the later stages i.e., 60 or more days after sowing (Golam et al., 2020). The present study aims to screen out dhaincha genotypes based on seedling biomass yield on different days after sowing to improve soil fertility. MATERIAL AND METHODS The experiment was conducted at the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Anbil Dharmalingam Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tiruchirappalli. The experiment was laid out as a randomized block design with three replications. Seeds of four different genotypes namely Vellore local, Villupuram local, Sivagangai local, and Pant dhaincha are sown in pots. 50 seeds were sown in each pot. The quantitative parameters such as germination percentage, root length, shoot length, fresh and dry weight of root & shoot, base diameter, and green biomass per plant were recorded at ten days intervals till 60 days after sowing and analyzed. The samples were dried at 70 0 C for 8 hrs. to determine the dry weight of the genotypes. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION All the related parameters and biomass yield of the accessions show considerable variation and increase significantly every ten days after sowing. Among the four different genotypes, Sivagangai local showed 100% germination, whereas in other genotypes, Villupuram local recorded 94.67%, Pant Dhaincha showed 90.67% (Table 1). Higher seed