http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/9133 2015-11-17T08:06:44Z info:eu-repo/semantics/descriptiveMetadata http://oar.icrisat.org/9133/ Characterization of ICRISAT-bred Pearl Millet Restorer Parents Gupta, S K Rai, K N Atkari, D G Ghouse, S K C Millets Pearl Millet Genetics and Genomics Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L) R. Br.], primarily grown for grain production on more than 26 m ha in the arid and semi-arid tropical (SAT) regions of Asia and Africa, is a highly nutritious cereal crop with wide agro- ecological adaptation. India, the largest producer of this crop at the global level, cultivates pearl millet on about >9 million ha contributing to more than 90% area of the crop in the Asian region. It is a highly cross pollinated crop, and single-cross hybrids generally give 20-30% more yield than open pollinated varieties (Rai et al. 2006). With the availability of commercially exploitable cytoplasmic-nuclear male sterility (CMS) systems in pearl millet, the national agricultural research system (NARS) and the private seed sector in India focused their breeding programs on hybrid development. This led to the development and adoption of a diverse range and large number of hybrids (> 80 in 2011) and now occupying > 4.5 m ha area, which is about half the total pearl millet area being cultivated in India (Rai et al. 2006). ICRISAT also aligned its breeding program to developing promising hybrid parental lines in order to support the Asian pearl millet hybrid program... ICRISAT 2015 Monograph NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en http://oar.icrisat.org/9133/1/Characterization%20of%20icrisat-bred%20pearl%20millet%20restorer%20parents.pdf Gupta, S K and Rai, K N and Atkari, D G and Ghouse, S K C (2015) Characterization of ICRISAT-bred Pearl Millet Restorer Parents. Technical Report. ICRISAT, Patancheru, Telangana, India. info:eu-repo/semantics/objectFile info:eu-repo/semantics/humanStartPage