Pearl Millet: A Compulsory Crop in Hyper Arid Zone 1C

Abstract

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] a is diploid (2n=14), and one of the most drought tolerant cereal crop grown in India, West Africa, Pakistan and Southern Asia. It is grown where nothing can be grown. Pearl millet is the most widely grown species of millet, grown in India and Africa since prehistoric times. It is now generally accepted that pearl millet originated in Africa and that it was introduced into India from there. Pearl millet is well adapted to production systems characterized by low rainfall, low soil fertility, and high temperature, and thus can be grown in areas where other cereal crops, such as wheat or maize, would not survive. Today pearl millet is grown on over 26 million hectares worldwide. In Zone 1C, it is predominantly grown as a grain crop but is also valued for its fodder. The pearl millet grains forms the staple diet while fodder is important for livestock s belonging to these area. In spite of release of several improved hybrids in pearl millet, their spread among the farming community is negligible resulting in the wastage of huge resources spent on the development and release of such hybrids over a long period. Despite a huge institutional framework for hybrid seed production of pearl millet in private sector, availability of good quality seeds continues to be a problem for the farmers of arid zone. As a result, they prefer to rely on farm saved seeds. Seed replacement rate continues to remain in the range of 25–30 per cent, which is much below the desired level of 50 per cent. Presently the availability of hybrid seed is limited to HHB-67-improved for this zone.