Pearl millet hybrid parents research at ICRISAT: Strategy, impact and research partnership

Pearl Millet Hybrid Parents Research at ICRISAT: Strategy, Impact and Research Partnership

Science with a human face

About ICRISAT: www.icrisat.orgICRISAT’s scientific information: http://EXPLOREit.icrisat.org De

c 201

5

SK Gupta and M Govindaraj

This work has been undertaken as part of the

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru 502 324, India

Research Strategy ▪ Fully aligned with the regional priority for Asia, leading to

research targeted to hybrid development. ▪ Focused on strategic research and development of

improved breeding lines and hybrid parents (A/B pairs and R lines), leaving hybrid development, testing and release to the public and private sector breeding programs.

▪ Grain yield, farmer-preferred traits and downy mildew (DM) resistance as the major selection criteria.

▪ Partnership-based approach to research priority setting. Thus, thrust on dual-purpose plant type targeted for >400 mm rainfall zone, and a research initiative on blast resistance, cytoplasmic diversification, forage traits, heat tolerance and bio fortified grains (high Fe and Zn).

▪ Capacity building for partners in NARS and the consortium seed companies an integral part of ICRISAT’s pearl millet improvement program.

Output and Impact ▪ Strategic research information of long-term applied

value (eg, cytoplasmic male sterility, heterosis, screening and breeding methods, resistance sources, pathogenic virulence, heterotic pool formation, molecular marker development and QTL identification).

▪ Diverse range of improved breeding lines and hybrid parents adapted to various agro-ecoregions.

▪ More than 80 hybrids under cultivation on about 5 million ha, contributing to on-farm cultivar diversity and preventing the outbreak of any major downy mildew epidemic.

▪ Most of these hybrids are from private sector; and at least 60-70% are based on ICRISAT-bred male sterile lines (A-lines) or on proprietary A-lines involving ICRISAT breeding lines.

▪ Wider hybrid cultivar base with high yield potential and DM resistance, leading to increase in pearl millet productivity (from about 539 kg/ha during 1986-90 to 1,186 kg/ha during 2010-15 registering a 120% improvement, which is highest among all food crops) (Figure 1).

▪ About 70-80% of the hybrids from the public sector programs tested in All India Coordinated Pearl Millet Improvement Project (AICPMIP’s) initial hybrid trials in 2012, 2013 and 2014 were developed using ICRISAT-bred A-lines. Of the 29 public sector hybrids released and notified during the last 15 years, 22 hybrids (ie, 75%) involved ICRISAT-bred A-lines in their parentage (see Box 1).

Figure 1. Five-year moving average for pearl millet area, production and grain yield in India.

Table 1. Pearl millet breeding lines selected and seed samples supplied from the scientists field day selections.

Description Field Day (year) Public Private Total

Number of participants

2012 22 38 602014 31 38 69

Number of lines selected

2012 712 2484 27822014 1302 1668 2523

Number of samples supplied

2012 1304 4941 62452014 2677 1339 4016

Box 1. Pearl millet hybrids based on ICRISAT-bred A lines

AICPMIP Initial hybrid trials 2012 2013 2014 Total

Total hybrids tested 82 79 92 253

No. of public sector hybrids 43 39 48 130

No. of public sector hybrids based on ICRISAT-bred A lines

28 27 40 95

Public sector hybrids notified during 2000-2014

No. of hybrids 29

Hybrids based on ICRISAT-bred A lines

22

ICRISAT’s consortium approach to hybrid parents research: What does it deliver? ▪ Enhances research capacity at ICRISAT arising from

partnership with and funding support from consortium seed companies, which in turn, leads to large scale selection of breeding materials and hybrid parents and thus contributes to the diversification of the genetic base of breeding programs both in the public and private sectors (Table 1).

▪ Provides a platform for the seed companies to present their observations, voice their concerns and generate an institutional response to address those concerns (eg, blast virulence, panicle compactness, heat tolerance and forage traits).

▪ Provides a number of the specialized services (eg, screening of private sector lines and hybrids for resistance to specific types of downy mildew, blast and rust, for grain Fe and Zn content).

▪ Provides specialized training in breeding, pathology and molecular marker technology through structured programs. Also provides technical guidance.

▪ Supports nucleus seed supply. ▪ Facilitates networking.

ICRISAT appreciates the support of CGIAR donors to help overcome poverty, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the harshest dryland regions of the world. See http://10.3.1.36:8080/icrisat-donors.htm for full list of donors.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14Area (m ha) Production (m t) Yield (kg./ha)

Are

a (m

ha)

/Pro

duct

ion

(mt)

Gra

in Y

ield

(

)

Year

Kg

ha-1