Pearl millet Varietal Identification Committee in its
annual meet on 22nd-24th March, 2018, during the 53rd
Annual Pearl Millet Workshop at ARS, Jodhpur,
identified MH 2185 as “biofortified pearl millet hybrid
AHB 1269Fe” for its high grain Fe combined with high
grain and stover yield. MH 2185 is a cross between
male-sterile line ICMA1 98222 (female parent) and
restorer AUBI 1105 (male parent). The line ICMA1
98222 is based on A1 source of cytoplasmic malesterility
developed at ICRISAT, Patancheru. Hybrid
MH 2185 was tested in the All India Coordinated Pearl
Millet Improvement Project (AICRP-PM) trials during
2015-2017 seasons at 36 locations (12 locations each
in 2015, 13 locations in 2016 and 11 locations in 2017)
together with 6 controls, 86M86, 86M01, MPMH 17,
HHB-67 Improved, Pratap, and Dhanashakti. While
the first five controls are commercially released highyielding hybrid cultivars, Dhanashakti is an improved
version of open pollinated variety (OPV) ICTP8203
with high grain Fe (71 ppm). AHB 1269Fe hybrid was
jointly developed and sponsored to AICRP-PM for
evaluation by National Agriculture Research Project
Aurangabad, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi
Vidyapeeth, Parbhani and International Crops Research
Institute for Semi-Aric Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru,
India