Genetic diversity for yield and its component traits in pearlmillet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.]

Pearlmillet is an important cereal crop of the semi arid-tropical region. As a result the crop productivity is challenged in most cultivable regions. In order to enhance the productivity in dry regions, breeders need access to diverse material in their breeding programmes. In the present study, an attempt was made to assess the genetic divergence among the 243 germplasm lines using Mahalanobis D² statistic. Based on the genetic distance (D2 value), the 243 genotypes were grouped into 16 different clusters indicating diverse nature of material studied. Cluster I was the largest with 129 genotypes followed by cluster III (49 genotypes) and cluster V (24 genotypes) while clusters II and VI, VII, VIII and X to XVI were solitary indicating the grouping of exotic collections in definite groups. Among the various characters, seed yield (27.45%), panicle girth (18.16 %), leaf length (12.20 %) contributed maximum towards the divergence. Cluster IX (9 genotypes) showed the maximum mean value for seed yield. The intra and inter cluster divergence among the genotypes were varying in magnitude. The intra-cluster distance was maximum in cluster IX followed by clusters IV and V. The widest inter cluster distance was noted between cluster V and XVI giving scope for hybridization programme for improvement of Pearl millet genotypes. The distance between clusters II and V was minimal indicating close relationship between those clusters

Development of High Yielding Disease Resistant Hybrid in Pearl Millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.] for Northern Karnataka

Pear Millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] isanimportant nutri-cereal as it contains higher level of micronutrients especially Fe and Zn compared to other cereal crops like maize, wheat, rice, sorghum etcand is one of the important sources of staple food to the large masses of the people across the globe. Heterosis is the superiority of F1 over its parents and it has been extensively studied in pearl millet. Due to its protogynous nature, it is highly cross pollinated and well amenable to exploit heterosis, further, availability of cytoplasmic-nuclear male-sterile sources in the crop gives scope for development of hybrids in turn enhance the crop productivity. Among various biotic and abiotic stresses which impact the productivity, Blast disease caused by Pyriculariagrisea (Cooke) Sacc., is emerging as a major disease of concern resulting into yield loss to the tune of 62 per cent.Looking into the importance of the disease, it necessitates to breed for stable and durable disease resistant hybrids. In this context, disease resistance breeding programme was initiated at All India Co-ordinated Research Project (Millets) at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Vijayapur with the aim to develop disease resistant hybrid with high productivity. After several generations of screening, evaluation and selection of parents and crosscombinations, new hybrid, VPMH-7, was identified by crossinga good combiner and an early flowering A1 cytoplasm based malesterile line ICMA 94555 with good restorer CPRT 112. The hybrid identified has recorded significantly higher mean yield of 24.50 percent over National Check, GHB 558, in Zone 3 of Karnataka. Due to its encouraging performance, the hybrid was promoted and tested underFarm Trials andLarge Scale Demonstrations, wherein, the said hybrid recorded 12.60 and 24.80 per cent superiority over GHB 558 respectively. The hybrid is promising for blast disease resistance under field condition as compared to GHB-558, and matures early (80-85 days), making it suitable for late planting and multiple cropping system. Considering all these attributes, this disease resistant hybrid, VPMH-7, having high yield potential is released (2019) and notified (2020) for commercial cultivation in Zone 3 of Karnataka

Performance and Stability of Pearl Millet Varieties for Grain Yield and Micronutrients in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions of India

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is grown under both arid and semi-arid conditions in India, where other cereals are hard to grow. Pearl millet cultivars, hybrids, and OPVs (open pollinated varieties) are tested and released by the All India Coordinated Research Project on Pearl Millet (AICRP-PM) across three zones (A1, A, and B) that are classified based on rainfall pattern. Except in locations with extreme weather conditions, hybrids dominate pearl millet growing areas, which can be attributed to hybrid vigor and the active role of the private sector. The importance of OPVs cannot be ruled out, owing to wider adaptation, lower input cost, and timely seed availability to subsidiary farmers cultivating this crop. This study was conducted to scrutinize the presently used test locations for evaluation of pearl millet OPVs across India, identify the best OPVs across locations, and determine the variation in grain Fe and Zn contents across locations in these regions. Six varieties were evaluated across 20 locations in A1 and A (pooled as A) and B zones along with three common checks and additional three zonal adapted checks in the respective zones during the 2019 rainy season. Recorded data on yield and quality traits were analyzed using genotype main effects and genotype × environment interaction biplot method. The genotype × environment (G × E) interaction was found to be highly significant for all the grain yield and agronomic traits and for both micronutrients (iron and zinc). However, genotypic effect (G) was four (productive tillers) to 49 (grain Fe content) times that of G × E interaction effect for various traits across zones that show the flexibility of OPVs. Ananthapuramu is the ideal test site for selecting pearl millet cultivars effectively for adaptation across India, while Ananthapuramu, Perumallapalle, and Gurugram can also be used as initial testing locations. OPVs MP 599 and MP 600 are identified as ideal genotypes, because they showed higher grain and fodder yields and stability compared with other cultivars. Iron and zinc concentration showed highly significant positive correlation (across environment = 0.83; p < 0.01), indicating possibility of simultaneous effective selection for both traits. Three common checks were found to be significantly low yielders than the test entries or zonal checks in individual zones and across India, indicating the potential of genetic improvement through OPVs