ICRISAT advances pearl millet breeding for drought tolerance and better fodder quality

Hyderabad: The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is advancing pearl millet breeding to improve drought tolerance, grain quality and fodder value, with a focus on strengthening farm productivity and climate resilience in dryland regions.

These priorities were discussed at ICRISAT’s biennial Pearl Millet Scientists’ Field Day, held on October 12–13, which brought together 80 scientists from public research institutions and private seed companies across India, Africa, Japan and other regions. Participants evaluated advanced breeding materials and shared inputs on traits that could benefit farmers and expand the crop’s market potential.

The event followed the release of RHB 273, developed by ICRISAT and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). Described as the world’s first three-way pearl millet hybrid, it was developed for India’s low-rainfall A1 zone, with traits aimed at improving grain productivity, drought tolerance and fodder quality.

The field day showcased 16,000 plots of pearl millet breeding materials, including B lines, R lines and forage lines. Scientists assessed traits such as drought and heat tolerance, disease resistance, early maturity, grain quality and fodder value.

Researchers also evaluated materials with higher protein content, brown midrib (BMR) traits and sweet-stalk characteristics. These traits could create opportunities across food, livestock feed and biomass markets, broadening the potential uses of pearl millet.

ICRISAT Director General Dr Himanshu Pathak emphasised the importance of research that responds to farmers’ needs and changing agricultural markets. He highlighted the role of collaboration between public research institutions and private-sector partners in developing improved crop varieties.

Dr Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General for Research and Innovation at ICRISAT, underscored the importance of sustained scientific investment and the use of genetic resources to expand the crop’s potential across diverse farming systems.

Collaboration between research institutions and seed companies remains central to developing improved pearl millet hybrids.

Dr Raman Babu, Global Research Program Director for Accelerated Crop Improvement at ICRISAT, highlighted the role of the Hybrid Parents Research Consortium (HPRC) in identifying and combining parental lines for specific breeding objectives. Evaluation and feedback from partners help researchers determine which breeding materials should be prioritised for further development.

According to Dr S. K. Gupta, Principal Scientist for Pearl Millet Breeding at ICRISAT, feedback from the 2024 field day helped shape research priorities around grain colour, drought tolerance, blast resistance and forage quality.

ICRISAT is using approaches such as forward and shuttle breeding to develop materials suited to drought-prone environments, including India’s A1 zone, as designated under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Pearl Millet.

Participants also recommended developing shorter, early-maturing parental lines to reduce crop lodging and facilitate mechanised harvesting. Such traits could improve operational efficiency and help reduce labour costs.

Beyond grain yield, pearl millet breeding is increasingly targeting traits that can improve the crop’s value for food and livestock production. Higher protein content and improved forage characteristics could help farmers derive greater value from the crop while supporting livestock feed requirements.

The work also aligns with broader efforts under MAHARISHI (Millets And OtHer Ancient Grains International ReSearcH Initiative), which brings together research and industry partners to advance millet improvement across different farming environments.

ICRISAT’s ongoing research aims to develop pearl millet varieties that can help farmers improve productivity, manage climate-related risks and explore new market opportunities across India, Africa and other dryland regions.

As erratic rainfall and rising temperatures continue to challenge dryland agriculture, the development of climate-resilient pearl millet varieties with improved grain and fodder traits could play an important role in strengthening farm-level resilience and profitability.