%D 2015
%L icrisat9133
%I ICRISAT
%T Characterization of ICRISAT-bred Pearl Millet Restorer Parents
%A S K Gupta
%A K N Rai
%A D G Atkari
%A S K C Ghouse
%C Patancheru, Telangana, India
%K Pearl Millet, Dryland Cereals, Cereals, Genetic Resources, Nutritional Security , Seed Production, ICRISAT
%X 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...