Pearl Millet Cultivars Research Articles

Yield response and nitrogen uptake of pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) cultivars to nitrogen application in the savanna region of Nigeria

Field experiments were carried out during the wet seasons (May to September) of 1980 and 1981 in order to determine the response of five pearl millet cultivars to nitrogen fertilization in savanna region of Nigeria. There were varietal differences in yield and nitrogen uptake in response to nitrogen rates. Most cultivars responded significantly up to 75 kg N ha−1. Hybrid outyielded other cultivars at both locations each year. Nitrogen use efficiency was highest with the Hybrid, compared to other cultivars.

Effects of Rust on Yield and Quality of Pearl Millet Forage1

Rust (Puccinia substriata var. indica) occurs on pearl millet [Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke] in most years. Visual effects of the rust are severe, ranging from death of young plants from early infection to premature desiccation and/or death of leaves with later infection. There is a lack of quantitative data on the effects of rust on yield and quality of pearl millet. This study was initiated to assess the effect of rust on yield and quality of individual resistant and susceptible plants. Comparisons of 205 resistant with 173 susceptible plants showed significant reductions in dry matter (DM) concentration, DM yield, and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) in diseased plants. The combined effects of lower yields and lower IVDMD led to a mean 51% reduction in digestible dry matter yield from the infected plants. The yield of leaves was reduced less by rust than was the yield of stems, but the opposite was true for IVDMD concentrations. Total sugars in the forage of infected plants were 64% less than in forage of resistant plants. Crude protein concentration was slightly higher in diseased plants. The results clearly demonstrated the benefits to be derived from incorporation of rust resistance into existing or new cultivars of pearl millet.

Studies on some Drought Resistant Traits of Pearl Millet Cultivars and their Association with Grain Production under Natural Drought

AbstractA field experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of hybrid (BJ 104, MBH 110, CM 46 and GHB 27) and composites (PSB 3, PSB 8, WCC 75 and Local) of pearl‐millet on the soils (pH 7.1, Organic carbon 0.5 %, P2O5 9.6 kg/ha, K2O 80 kg/ha, soil depth 65 cm and profile moisture 8.6 cm) of Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi under extreme drought condition (340 mm total precipitation during the crop season). It was observed that hybrids, by and large, gave higher production than composites and local variety even failed to bloom. Further the highest yield from hybrid MBH 110 was due to its drought escaping character (earliness), drought enduring capacity (CSI‐12), efficient translocation and better sink strength. BJ 104 and CM 46, though were also drought escaping and possessed capacity to endure drought but inferior to MBH 110 in sink strength which was ultimately reflected in production.An appraisal of the various agro‐physiological traits revealed that earliness, high harvest index, low CSI value (chlorophyll stability index) and high sink strength were directly correlated with productivity of cultivars under drought condition which could be used as a guide lines for breeding drought resistant cultivars of pearl millet.

Collection and evaluation of pearl millet (Pennisetum) germplasm from Malawi

A germplasm collecting trip to Malawi was launched during March/April 1979, resulting in the collection of 260 traditional cultivars of pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum), 11 intermediate forms, and 6 accessions of wild Pennisetum. Most of the cultivated pearl millet samples were obtained from the hot lowlands of the lower Shire Valley, with a few samples from the cool highlands of Mulanje and Mangochi. A mixture of different types that varied in plant height, maturity, and spike characters were observed in farmers’ fields. In the south, early types with loose, thin, cylindrical spikes and in the north, late-maturing types producing many tillers with stout spikes having long bristles were found. The grain is used to prepare a thick porridge, nsima, or to brew local beer, chimera. When the collection was evaluated at ICRISAT Center, Patancheru, considerable variation was observed for days to 50% flowering and plant height, but not for spike and grain characters. During the rainy season, the majority of the accessions flowered early (70 days), grew very tall (250 cm), and produced thin (22 mm), short (22 cm) spikes with small, obovate to elliptical, corneous grey grain. In the postrainy season, most of the accessions flowered a week earlier accompanied by reduction in plant height. Millet germplasm from Malawi belongs to the race typhoides and serves as a good source of genes for earliness, tillering, and corneous endosperm.

Biochemical genetic basis of downy mildew resistance in pearl millet

The study of phenolic content and activities of peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase in relation to the degree of downy mildew infection of 12 pearl millet cultivars revealed that these were linearly related to the degree of resistance at both the 30 and 50 day growth stages. Useful electrophoretic differences in peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase were also observed with respect to the expression of resistance.

Genetic analysis of phytic acid content in pearl millet

The genetics of phytic acid content in pearl millet (Pennisettum typhoides (Burm) S & H) was studied using a 12 parent diallel. The analysis of variance of diallel progenies exhibited significant genotypic differences. Different analyses, i.e., combining ability analysis, analysis of variance of diallel tables and genetic component analysis, showed that both additive and non additive gene effects were significant. It is suggested that a population improvement is possible by breeding for low phytic acid cultivars of pearl millet.

Response of Pearl Millet Cultivars to Inoculation with Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria

SUMMARYThe results of field experiments conducted with millet cultivars inoculated with different nitrogen-fixing bacteria at the ICRISAT Centre, Hyderabad, India are described. Significant interactions were observed between host cultivars and bacterial strains, but some cultivars showed consistently increased grain and dry matter yields, suggesting the possibility of exploiting suitable plant and nitrogen-fixing bacterial associations for increasing grain yield. Inoculation also resulted in increased nitrogen uptake up to 14.9 kg ha−1, and larger grain nitrogen contents.

Dominant gene for rust resistance in pearl millet

Rust (Puccinia substriata var. indica) resistance was discovered in three Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke subspecies monodii (Maire) Brunken accessions from Senegal. Resistant plant were free of rust, although the bottom one or two leaves of some plants did develop a brown discoloration without pustules. Resistance was controlled by a dominant gene assigned the gene symbol Rr1. Backcrossing has been effective in transferring resistance from the wild grassy, monodii to cultivated pearl millet. The Rr1 gene should be useful in the production of rust resistant pearl millet hybrids and cultivars. 6 references, 1 table.

Influence of storage on the protein quality of pearl millet flour

AbstractWhole grain flours of two cultivars of pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides Rich) were stored in cans for 8 days at the prevailing room temperature (25±5°C), until the flours developed an off‐flavour and bad taste. The flour samples were then evaluated for protein quality. The values of protein efficiency ratio, true digestibility, biological value, net protein retention and protein utilisation fell markedly during storage. The protein quality of the cultivar with the higher amount of oil was affected more severely.

Intercontinental variation of Sclerospora graminicola

SUMMARYCollections of S. graminicola were made from local pearl millet crops in West Africa and India. Asexual inoculum was derived from the collections in Polythene tunnels and used to infect pearl millet cultivars from both continents. Analysis of deviance of the incidence of disease was performed on the logit scale using GLIM. The host × pathogen interactions were interpreted by use of the Finlay‐Wilkinson regression technique widely used in the study of genotype × environment interactions. While the West African collections were consistently more pathogenic than the Indian ones, West African hosts were potentially more susceptible to Indian than to West African pathogen isolates; conversely some Indian hosts were more vulnerable to West African than to Indian isolates. There was a fairly stable relationship between incidence of disease and relative pathogenicity of West African isolates but the Indian isolates were more variable in their susceptibility to changing background levels of disease. These results could influence resistance breeding strategies in pearl millet improvement programmes. The methods of analysis could be valuable for application to other complex and ill‐defined pathosystems.

The Heritability of Abscisic Acid Accumulation in Water-stressed Leaves of Pearl Millet [Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke

Using detached leaves, two cultivars of pearl millet [Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke], B282 and Serere 39, were assessed for variation in the capacity to accumulate ABA in response to water stress. Significant differences in ABA accumulation were detected between cultivars and between different inbred lines within a cultivar, but within lines there was much less variation in this character. In crosses between individual lines of B282 (low ABA) and Serere 39 (high ABA), ABA accumulation in the F1 was mid-way between parental values, indicating additive genetic control and lack of dominance. Selfed progeny of a B282 × Serere 39 cross were selected for contrasting ABA accumulation in the F2 to F4 generations. A sixfold range in ABA accumulation was found amongst 207 F2 progeny. This increased to nearly ninefold at F3 and F4. Regression analysis indicated high heritability of ABA accumulation and rapid approach to homozygosity. As the cross studied involved a dwarf (B282) and a tall (Serere 39) parent, segregation occurred for height as well as for ABA, though not entirely independently. Tall F3 progeny had significantly higher ABA contents than dwarf progeny and high ABA was therefore associated with other traits (e.g. large leaves, high leaf per cent d. wt) characteristic of tall plants. Nevertheless, there was a substantial range of ABA content within both groups which was uncorrelated with height and other characters. The potential use of the selections in studies on drought response is briefly discussed.

Pathogenic variability of downy mildew (Sclerospora graminicola) on pearl millet. II. Statistical techniques for analysis of data

SUMMARYDifferent cultivars of pearl millet were exposed to infection by asexual propagules of Sclerospora graminicola in Polythene tunnels. Subsequent incidence of disease was measured on one‐month old seedlings. The data consisted of binomial proportions based on differing total numbers of seedlings. It is shown how to utilise the logit link in the GLIM statistical package for analysis to compare variety performances. In addition the possibilities of interplot interference and intraplot variation were investigated using GLIM. Interplot interference occurred infrequently and did not affect the rank order of the cultivars in terms of their response to the fungus infection. Intraplot variation was also shown to be non significant in spite of proximity of some plants to the disease spreader plants. Once these potentially confounding phenomena were eliminated the cultivars could be compared directly with impunity. GLIM was also used to confirm that the type of symptom expression was a stable feature of each host genotype.

Variable Cultivar Response to Metalaxyl Treatment in Pearl Millet

Two formulations of metalaxyl were tested as seed treatments for control of downy mildew and for their effects on germination, emergence, time of flowering, and grain yield with four pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum) cultivars that varied in susceptibility to this disease. Germination was reduced significantly (P = 0.05) in all cultivars at the higher rate of fungicide application but emergence was reduced in only one of the four cultivars; however, metalaxyl gave significant (P=0.05) grain yield increases only on the two most susceptible cultivars. In the field trial, significant (P=0.05) reductions in downy mildew were obtained with all fungicide treatments

Sugars of Pearl Millet [Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke] Grains

ABSTRACTThe sugars in the grains of nine pearl millet cultivars were fractionated through a Biogel column. Five different sugars‘(stachyose, raffinose, sucrose, glucose, and fructose) were identified. Sucrose was predominant in all the cultivars. Raffinose content was high as compared to other cereals, and maltose was absent.

Drought resistance in pearl millet

The influence of wilting on the levels of free proline, soluble proteins, reducing sugars, starch and on the activities of nitrate reductase, invertase, amylase and pyrophosphatases have been studied in the leaf tissue of five cultivars of pearl millet at their vegetative stage under pot culture conditions. The metabolic changes could not be correlated with the yield behaviour of the cultivars under a drought condition in the field.

Abscisic Acid Accumulation in Detached Cereal Leaves in Response to Water Stress: I. Effects of Incubation Time and Severity of Stress

The accumulation of abscisic acid (ABA) was investigated in detached leaves of cultivars of pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum [L.] Leeke), rice (Oryza sativa L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) which were partially desiccated. In millet and rice leaves stressed to a 10 per cent loss of fresh weight, ABA levels attained their maximum amounts 2 h after desiccation, and declined markedly when incubation was prolonged after 5 h. In contrast, ABA levels in wheat leaves, similarly stressed, increased to a maximum after approximately 4 h, and, compared with millet and rice, changed little over the following 20 h. In wheat leaves, ABA concentrations after 5 h of incubation increased continuously with increasing loss of fresh weight over the range 0–14 per cent. In rice, ABA levels increased with a loss of fresh weight of up to 10 per cent but did not increase further with greater stress. There was a pronounced optimum water loss (7 per cent) for maximum ABA accumulation in millet leaves. Within species there were differences between genotypes in the extent and patterns of ABA accumulation. In wheat, the cultivar TW 269/9 consistently accumulated more ABA than did Highbury under all treatments.

A Gene for Early Maturity and Photoperiod Insensitivity in Pearl Millet1

The e1 gene was isolated by repeated backcrossing from a weak, spindly, very early maturing seedling discovered by R. F. Moore in a field of ‘Katharine’ pearl millet, Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke, growing in Queensland, Australia. Inbreds T23DBE and T756, carrying e1e1 developed by backcrossing the e1 gene into T23DB and T28, flowered in 45 to 55 days regardless of season planted, whereas T23DB and T28 (like most pearl millets) flowered in 75 to 85 days if planted in May and 55 to 65 days if planted in August. Thus the e1e1 gene imparts photoperiod insensitivity and makes most millets carrying it mature 10 to 40 days earlier. The e1 gene and a rapid backcrossing program make it possible to quickly create very early photoperiod‐insensitive forms of any superior pearl millet cultivar or hybrid.

Phenotypic Stability and Adaptation of Certain Pearl Millet Cultivars

Four cultivars of pearl millet, consisting of an open-pollinated variety CO. 6 and three hybrids KM UCH 4 and KM, were tested for stability and adaptation in nine different environments with in Tamil Nadu. The highest mean yield was registered by CO.6 while KM recorded the lowest mean yield. All the four cultivars were found to be generally adapted to all the environments because of the unit regression coefficients. With regard to stability as measured by coefficient of determination, KM was outstanding. The other three cultivars were similar in their stability levels

Adaptation of pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides) to coastal New South Wales. 2. Productivity under defoliation

The three pearl millet cultivars, Katherine Pearl, Tamworth and Tiflate, representing mid-season and late-season types, were grown at Camden, New South Wales (34�S). Crops were planted in November and December and subjected to cutting at heights of 10, 30 and 50 cm, at three- and six-weekly intervals, beginning six weeks after sowing. Harvested forage dry matter yield, both total and late-season, was highest under a lenient cutting regime. Late productivity was higher in late maturing varieties. The effect of delayed planting was to increase the yield and quality of late harvests, but not total yield. The yield of the hybrid Tiflate was low. Total harvested forage plus final stubble averaged 11,000 kg ha dry matter for the three cultivars. Forage quality, as assessed by leafiness, protein and organic matter digestibility, was high. With the exception of digestibility, quality was improved by intensive cutting. Late-season digestibility was insensitive to cutting treatment. Varieties differed little in quality attributes. Early dry matter content of all varieties was low, and could adversely affect animal productivity. The results indicated that for the realization of high, well distributed yields concomitant with quality, a tall stubble of about 30 cm, frequently harvested, was desirable. For late productivity, the use of a late-maturing variety can offset the effect of late planting.

Induced Fall Armyworm Resistance in Pearl Millet123

In the greenhouse, a fall armyworm-resistant (intermediate-preference) cultivar (‘Gahi’) of pearl millet, Pennisetum typhoides (Burm.) Stapf and C. E. Hubb, was fertilized with a recommended rate of a complete (NPK) fertilizer and all component nutrient combinations. When larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) were fed the respective foliages, the insect‘s life cycle was affected significantly. Further, the cultivar as fertilized, also varied in growth vigor and expressed extremes of ranges of host plant resistance (for preference, antibiosis, and tolerance) to the insect. Data show that crop fertilizers induce various insect-control effects in pearl millet forage that must be considered in investigations of field-planted host-plant resistance.