Pearl Millet Hybrids Research Articles

Heterosis studies for grain yield and its component traits in pearl millet hybrids [Pennisettum glaucum (L.) R. Br.

Heterosis studies for grain yield and its component traits in pearl millet hybrids [Pennisettum glaucum (L.) R. Br.

Grain productivity and nutrient accumulation in millet straw grown in the off-season

Given the growing demand for grains cultivation in the off-season, an experiment was conducted to evaluate grain yield and nutrient accumulation in straw, straw production, and decomposition of pearl millet varieties and hybrids cultivated at different sowing times in off-season in the municipality of Rio Verde, state of Goiás. This was a randomized block experimental design, with four replications and four planting times. The work was carried out on an Oxisol, using two forage varieties, ADR300 and ADR500, the dual-purpose pearl millet hybrid ADR8010 for grain and biomass production, and two grain hybrids, ADR9010 and ADR 9020. The accumulation of macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur) was quantified in the straw at grain harvest. Hybrids ADR 9010 and ADR 9020 had the highest grain yield in the first season, with 2,626 and 2,425 kg ha-1, respectively, while the ADR 9010 hybrid showed the highest accumulation of macronutrients (except phosphorus) in the straw. Hybrid ADR 9010 is the best option for planting in the off-season with the objective of grain production, with high biomass production and accumulation of nutrients in the straw.

Identification of Superior Forage Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.) Inbred Lines

The experiment was conducted during kharif, (July–November, 2022) at ICAR–Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, India. In this experiment, 81 forage pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.) lines was evaluated for its genetic diversity and variability. For all variables examined, an analysis of variance revealed a considerable variation between lines. Leaf-to-stem ratio, first-cut and second-cut of green fodder yield, as well as dry fodder yield, all had high PCV and GCV values. For Plant height, Leaf length, Number of leaves tiller-1, Number of tillers plant-1, Stem thickness, and Regeneration ability however, moderate PCV and GCV values have been identified. Plant height, Number of leaves tiller-1, Leaf-to-stem ratio, Green fodder yield in first cut, the Green fodder in second cut, and the yield of dry fodder all showed high heritability and high genetic advance. On the basis of Mahalanobis D2 statistics for clustering, genetic diversity was examined. The Tocher method was used to grouping of genotype lines into 11 clusters. The most lines were found in cluster I (52), followed by cluster VI with 14 lines, cluster III with 6 lines, and cluster IX with 2 lines. Cluster VI has the greatest intra-cluster distance (86.59), followed by clusters I (54.11), III (52.99), and IX (52.30). Between cluster III and IX had observed greater inter-cluster distance of 594.54 followed by cluster III and X (471.67), cluster IX and XI (458.76) and cluster I and IX (410.82). Intercrossing of these clusters lines might be useful to develop better forage pearl millet hybrids.

Estimates of genetic components for yield and its related traits in pearl millet hybrids (Pennisetum glaucum L. R. Br.)

Estimates of genetic components for yield and its related traits in pearl millet hybrids (Pennisetum glaucum L. R. Br.)

Stability analysis of male sterile-derived pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) hybrids under variable growing condition

The identification and deployment of high-yielding pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.] hybrids adapted to various stress agro-ecologies are crucial for enhancing food and nutrition security in northern India. A study was carried out during the rainy (kharif) seasons of 2019 and 2020 at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana in different growing situations (early-sown and late-sown patterns and rainfed to irrigated conditions) to investigate the genotype-environment interaction (GEI) of 59 pearl millet restorer lines, male sterile lines and their derived hybrids. Pooled analysis of variance for genotype, environment and GEI was significant for days to 50% flowering, seed yield and harvest index. These results indicate the significant differences among the genotypes, various environments and response of GEI. By combining the results of regression analysis and additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) biplot, the genotypes HMS58 A1×EMRL-14/105, HMS54 A5×EMRL-14/127 and EMRL-15/109 exhibited high mean seed yield and high stability across environments. Among the tested environments, irrigated late-sown condition for seed yield and harvest index; and rainfed early-sown condition for days to 50% flowering had the highest discrimination ability. Hence, this study can help for the grouping of pearl millet potential hybrids and allow multi-year trials for identifying the best genotypes in the northern India.

Effect of Sowing Methods and Row Spacing on Growth, Yield and Economics of Multicut Sorghum and Pearl Millet Hybrids

A field experiment was conducted at the Research Farm of the School of Agriculture, Abhilashi University, Mandi (H.P.) during Kharif 2022 to study the effect of sowing methods and row spacing on yield and economics of multicut sorghum and pearl millet hybrids. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with three replications comprising nine treatments. The results of the study revealed that line sowing of blended seeds of sorghum + pearl millet in 30 cm apart rows resulted in better plant height (cm), shoot number (m-2), dry matter accumulation (g m-2) with the highest total green fodder (24.09 t ha-1) and dry fodder yields (4.37 t ha-1). Line sowing of blended seeds of sorghum + pearl millet in 30 cm apart rows realized the highest net returns of Rs. 30817 ha-1 with net returns per rupee invested of 1.05. Line sowing of pearl millet alone in 30 cm apart rows was found to be comparable with line sowing of blended seeds (sorghum + pearl millet) in 30 cm apart rows, which was the next best treatment.

Balance sheet of N and P in hybrid pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) as influenced by sources and application methods

Balance sheet of N and P in hybrid pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) as influenced by sources and application methods

An assessment of pearl millet hybrids for drought tolerance under hyper arid conditions

An assessment of pearl millet hybrids for drought tolerance under hyper arid conditions

Classification of new germplasm into existing heterotic groups of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.

AbstractThe study assigned new germplasm, which includes populations and inbreds, to established heterotic groups using various approaches to broaden the existing genetic base while maintaining the heterotic pattern in pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.]. It utilized 13 pearl millet populations of African and Asian origins and 24 new inbred parents from ICRISAT's breeding program. Testers, both inbred and composite, were employed to categorize these materials into heterotic groups. Different sets of line × tester crosses were generated and evaluated during the rainy season at multiple locations in India. The pearl millet populations were assigned to heterotic group B (seed parental groups) (HGB1 and HGB2) and heterotic group R (pollinator parental groups) (HGR1 and HGR2) based on general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability effects. Composite testers were found to be more effective for the heterotic grouping of pearl millet populations. New inbred lines were classified into HGB and HGR based on GCA and hybrid performance using opposite heterotic group testers and also using genetic similarity obtained from genotype‐by‐sequencing data.The new germplasm classified into heterotic groups will help enhance the genetic gain for the long‐term success of pearl millet hybrid breeding programs.

Understanding genetic diversity in drought-adaptive hybrid parental lines in pearl millet.

Information on genetic diversity and population structure is helpful to strategize enhancing the genetic base of hybrid parental lines in breeding programs. The present study determined the population structure and genetic diversity of 109 pearl millet hybrid parental lines, known for their better adaptation and performance in drought-prone environments, using 16,472 single nucleotide polymorphic (SNP) markers generated from GBS (genotyping-by-sequencing) platforms. The SNPs were distributed uniformly across the pearl millet genome and showed considerable genetic diversity (0.337), expected heterozygosity (0.334), and observed heterozygosity (0.031). Most of the pairs of lines (78.36%) had Identity-by-State (IBS) based genetic distances of more than 0.3, indicating a significant amount of genetic diversity among the parental lines. Bayesian model-based population stratification, neighbor-joining phylogenetic analysis, and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) differentiated all hybrid parental lines into two clear-cut major groups, one each for seed parents (B-lines) and pollinators (R-lines). Majority of parental lines sharing common parentages were found grouped in the same cluster. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed 7% of the variation among subpopulations, and 93% of the variation was attributable to within sub-populations. Chromosome 3 had the highest number of LD regions. Genomic LD decay distance was 0.69 Mb and varied across the different chromosomes. Genetic diversity based on 11 agro-morphological and grain quality traits also suggested that the majority of the B- and R-lines were grouped into two major clusters with few overlaps. In addition, the combined analysis of phenotypic and genotypic data showed similarities in the population grouping patterns. The present study revealed the uniqueness of most of the inbred lines, which can be a valuable source of new alleles and help breeders to utilize these inbred lines for the development of hybrids in drought-prone environments.

Inheritance Pattern of A1 Cytoplasmic-nuclear Male Sterility System in Commercial Pearl Millet Hybrids [Pennisetum glaucum (L). R. Br.] in Summer and Post-rainy Seasons

Background: This study aimed to understand the genetic aspects and inheritance patterns that control the process of restoring fertility in the context of the A1 system of Cytoplasmic-Nuclear Male Sterility (CMS) in pearl millet. Methods: The experimentation was conducted in commercial pearl millet hybrids, utilizing three F2 populations and three BC1 populations. These populations underwent assessment during the rainy and post-rainy seasons at Rallis India Limited, Hyderabad During the Post-rainy (November-February) and summer (March-June) seasons of 2022-2023. Segregation data derived from observations on pollen shedding and seed set were gathered and subsequently, statistical analysis was performed. The Chi-square (χ2) test was employed to assess the conformity of the observed segregation data to the expected genetic ratios, thus evaluating the goodness of fit. Result: The hybrid combinations MP13P025A ×MP16P050R (MP7171) and MP18P069A × MP20P081R (MP7214) consistently displayed a 3:1 segregation ratio in the F2 generation and a 1:1 ratio in the BC1 generation, regardless of the rainy or post-rainy seasons. However, the cross between MP14030A and MP15P038R (MP7878) showed irregularities in both seasons due to modifiers and environmental factors. These irregularities stemmed from an excess of fertile plants (FF) in the post-rainy season or an excess of sterile plants (FS) in the summer season. These observations provide valuable insights into the genetic dynamics of the A1 Cytoplasmic-Nuclear Male Sterility (CMS) system within commercial pearl millet hybrids. The study indicates that fertility restoration in the A1-based CMS system is strongly influenced by a single Dominant gene control mechanism governing the interplay between male sterility and fertility restoration in these crosses.

Deciphering the genetic variability for biochemical parameters influencing rancidity of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L. R. Br.) flour in a set of highly diverse lines and their categorization using rancidity matrix

Pearl millet is renowned for its exceptional nutritional value due to its high concentration of essential nutrients. However, a substantial hurdle hindering its global adoption is the issue of rancidity, which manifests as the development of undesirable odours and flavors in millet flour. The present work aims to evaluate a set of highly diverse 255 accessions for exploring genotypic variations related to biochemical parameters influencing rancidity and their categorization using a rancidity matrix. These parameters include comprehensive acid value (CAV), comprehensive peroxide value (CPV), as well as lipase and lipoxygenase (LOX) enzyme activities under both fresh and stored conditions. High heritability and genetic advance for CPV and LOX under both fresh and stored conditions indicated the presence of additive genetic effects. Positive associations were noted among all the rancidity-related biochemical parameters. Principal component analysis (PCA) further illustrated the positive correlation between CAV and lipase activity, and between CPV and LOX activity. Based on lower values of CAV under fresh conditions and all other biochemical parameters under fresh and stored conditions, lines IP 5695 and IP 19334 were identified as low rancid lines. Additionally, genotypes were categorized into low, medium, and high rancidity groups based on CAV and CPV, providing valuable insights into trait variability. These findings hold significant promise for the development of breeding material, variety and hybrids of pearl millet with longer shelf life and wider utilization.

Identification of heterotic effect and combining ability in the hybrids of male sterile and restorer pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] Lines

Identification of heterotic effect and combining ability in the hybrids of male sterile and restorer pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] Lines

Comparative Effect of Subhash Palekar’s Natural Farming, Organic and Inorganic Systems of Nutrition on Performance of Fodder Sorghum and Pearl Millet Hybrids

Aims: To evaluate different nutrient management practices in fodder sorghum and pearl millet hybrids.
 Study Design: Randomized block design.
 Place and Duration of Study: A field experiment was conducted at the research farm of Fodder Section, CSK HPKV, Palampur during Kharif seasons of 2018 and 2019
 Methodology: Ten nutrient management practices i.e. absolute control (T1), 5% Jeevamrit (T2), 10% Jeevamrit (T3), seed treatment with Beejamrit + 5% Jeevamrit (T4), seed treatment with Beejamrit + 10% Jeevamrit (T5), 10 t/ha FYM + 5% Jeevamrit (T6), 10 t/ha FYM + 10% Jeevamrit (T7), 50% recommended N + 10 t/ha FYM + 5% Jeevamrit (T8), 50% recommended N + 10 t/ha FYM + 10% Jeevamrit (T9) and recommended NPK through inorganic sources (T10) were tested in randomized block design with three replications.
 Results: The results indicated that integrated nutrient management i.e. 50 per cent recommended N + 10 t/ha FYM + 10% Jeevamrit and 50 per cent recommended N + 10 t/ha FYM + 5% Jeevamrit and recommended NPK through inorganic sources remaining at par resulted in better crop growth (plant height, shoot number, leaf stem ratio, percent proportion), higher fodder yield (green and dry fodder yields), NPK uptake and crude protein yield than rest of the organic (10 t/ha FYM + 10% Jeevamrit and 10 t/ha FYM + 5% Jeevamrit) and natural farming (Beejamrit + 5% Jeevamrit and Beejamrit + 10% Jeevamrit) nutrient management treatments. Application of recommended NPK resulted in highest net returns (79049 INR/ha) and net returns per rupee invested (2.09).
 Conclusion: Integrated and inorganic nutrient management practices in fodder sorghum and pearl millet hybrids appeared best practices for realising higher yield than organic and natural farming nutrient management practices.

Effect of Different Sources of Nitrogen and Phosphorus and Application Methods on Yield and Quality of Hybrid Pearl Millet

Due to high yielding and short duration hybrid pearl millet got populized in last few years under pearlmillet-mustard/wheat cropping system but its required higher nutrient as compared to composite varieties but farmers apply only N and little amount of P which is responsile for low yield therefore, the present study was carried out during kharif 2021 and 2022 with 12 treatments of different sources which are chemical fertilizers, vermicompost (VC) and bio-fertilizers(Azotobacter and PSB) and application methods (seed treatment, soil and foliar application) of nitrogen and phosphorus in RBD with 3 replications. The resulted indicated that the application of 100% Nitrogen and Phosphorus by chemical fertilizers produced significantly higher yield attributes (length and girth of cobs) and yield parameter (grain and stover yield and harvest index) of pearlmilletas compared to 50 and 75% NP treatments. Maximum grain yield 29.87 q ha-1) was noted with integration of chemical, organic and bio fertilizers (75% NP + Seed treatment by Azoto + PSB + 5 t VCha-1) which was significantly higher over rest of all other treatments. Minimum yield parameters were noted with control (0 % NP). Application of vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 with 75 per cent of NP and inoculation of Azotobacter and PSB improved test weight and protein content.

Stimulatory effect of ZnO nanoparticles as a nanofertilizer in seed priming of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and their bioactivity studies

The nutrient-dense cereal crop pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is well known for its exceptional tolerance to extreme heat and water deprivation. Proposing to designate 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM), the Indian government has received approval from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Nano-fertilizers have emerged as a very promising approach to increase productivity and address the escalating problems in agriculture. Zinc nitrate and Calotropis procera dry leaf extract were utilized in the current experiment to create ZnO NPs. The produced nanoparticles were examined using UV-visible spectroscopy, EDX, SEM, FTIR, and XRD techniques. Using ZnSO4, ZnO NPs, and hydro priming, hybrid pearl millet "HHB 67 improved" was seed primed during the current study. The effects of ZnO NPs were compared with both ZnSO4 and hydro primed seeds. 150 ppm ZnO NPs improved 20 % seed germination and 51 % vigour index in pearl millet under laboratory conditions. Further, the experiment was set in green house, and the agronomic traits of pearl millet like fresh weight, chlorophyll, leaf area, plant height, and dry weight contents (DWCs) etc. were evaluated. Besides, leaves from the treated plant were also tested for DPPH radical scavenging activity and reveled 78.11 % inhibition, which is higher than from ZnSO4 and control treatment. Owing to their significant surface reactivity, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were found to be highly effective antibacterial agents, with a MIC of 15 µg/ml against E. coli and S. aureus. This research project's main goal was to evaluate ZnO NPs' enhanced agronomic traits, inhibitory potential, and antioxidative qualities. The aim of this extensive study was to clarify their diverse functions, which include improved agricultural characteristics, suppression of microbial growth, and antioxidant properties. This will facilitate a deeper comprehension of their uses in different fields.

Integrated Nutrient Management to Enhanced Growth and Yield of Pearl Millet

An experiment was conducted at Research Farm Area, Department of Agronomy, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar during kharif 2022 to study the effect of integrated nutrient management on growth and yield parameters of pearl millet. The experiment was conducted in randomized block design with three replications containing 12 treatments. The crop was sown on 12 July, 2022 using pearl millet hybrid ‘HHB 67 improved’. Among the treatments, application of recommended dose of fertilizer (156.25:62.50 kg ha-1 N:P) + 0.5% ZnSO4 + 0.5% FeSO4 + BIOMIX (T12) resulted in significantly higher plant height (191.67 cm), dry matter accumulation (79.53 g plant-1), leaf area index (3.72), grain yield (3002 kg ha-1) and biological yield (10035 kg ha-1) of pearl millet closely followed by (T11) RDF + 0.5% ZnSO4 + 0.5% FeSO4 at 25 DAS and (T8) RDF + 25 kg ha-1 ZnSO4 which were 11.4, 22.4, 19.1, 7.1 and 5.5% higher over RDF, respectively.

The Correlation between Green Fodder Yield and Fodder Quality Traits in Hybrids of Pearl Millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.

Pearl millet is an ideal fodder crop having highly shiny, lush, palatable, nutrient- dense, excellent silage and biomass production potential and bestowed with various essential nutrients required for the livestock. The study material consists of 54 fodder pearl millet hybrids obtained through the hybridisation between 15 selected superior parents from ICRISAT gene-pool as well as gene pool of Department of Forage Crops, TNAU, Coimbatore. For the better understanding of the relationship between green fodder yield per plant, its contributing traits and various quality traits, genetic parameters such as genotypic and phenotypic correlation as well as path coefficients were analysed. Correlation studies revealed that out of all the seventeen biometric traits studied, all the traits are shown positive correlation with green fodder yield per plant whereas fifteen traits are found to have significant positive correlation with green fodder yield per plant. Ash content (rg =0.855), dry fodder yield per plant (rg =0.850), leaf-stem ratio (rg =0.710) have shown very strong significant positive correlation and plant height (rg =0.641), days to green fodder harvest (rg =0.630), stem girth (rg =0.616) and days to fifty per cent flowering (rg =0.606) have recorded with moderately strong significant positive correlation with green fodder yield per plant. Number of tillers per plant (0.859), internode length (0.574), ash content (0.421) and dry fodder yield per plant (0.372) revealed highly positive direct effects with green fodder yield per plant. Hence, selection for traits exhibiting positive association and direct effects for green fodder yield would help the breeder to enhance it further.

Fertilizer Recommendations for Pearl Millet through Soil Test Crop Response-integrated Plant Nutrition System Approach on Alfisol

The field experiment was conducted in RBD with three replications at farmer's field which is located at Vagarai village, Dindigul district during February to May 2023 for refining the already existing Fertilizer Prescription Equations (FPEs) of hybrid pearl millet, which has been developed for Periyanaikenpalayam series to suit Palaviduthi soil series (Typic Rhodustalf). The performance of the pearl millet TNAU hybrid CO 10 was evaluated. The results of the experiment revealed that highest grain yield obtained from STCR - IPNS - 4.0 t ha-1, where farmyard manure along with inorganic fertilizers were combinedly applied. From the experimental data, basic parameters viz., nutrient requirement (NR), percent contribution of nutrients from soil (Cs), fertilizers (Cf) and FYM (Cfym) were computed. It has been found that the nutrient requirement for producing one quintal grain of pearl millet was 2.23 kg of N, 1.19 kg of P2O5, and 2.22 kg of K2O. The percent contribution from soil (Cs) and fertilizers (Cf) were 15.7 and 47.1 for N, 32.09 and 45.06 for P2O5, 10.04 and 66.71 for K2O respectively. Percent contribution from FYM was 36.09 for N, 16.84 for P2O5 and 33.29 for K2O. FPEs for Pearl millet were generated using these basic parameters through the Soil Test Crop Response based Integrated Plant Nutrition System (STCR-IPNS). Applying FYM at 12.5 t ha-1 combined with NPK fertilizers, was projected to result in a saving of 40, 21, and 27 kilograms of fertilizer N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively. Soil test-based fertilizer recommendations and integrated plant nutrient management will help farmers to conserve fertilizers as well as sustain soil health and high rates of productivity.

Effect of different dates of sowing on pearl millet (Pannisetum glaucum L.) hybrids under semi-arid region of Rajasthan

Effect of different dates of sowing on pearl millet (Pannisetum glaucum L.) hybrids under semi-arid region of Rajasthan