RA 00110.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

emained relatively stable at 11.5 million ha during
the last 25 years, but the total productivity and,
therefore, production has increased from 3.85 million
t in 1960-65 to 5.91 million t in 1980-84, an
increase of more than 50%. Similarly, the average
productivity has increased from 340 kg ha -1 to 512
kg ha -1 (Table I) (Harinarayana 1985).
Since the release of high-yielding hybrids, the
production and productivity of pearl millet has not
only increased, but production has stabilized. However,
in spite of the proven high-yield potential of
hybrids, their impact on production in the country is
by no means dramatic, primarily because they have
not been widely adopted in the principal pearl millet
growing areas such as Rajasthan, where hybrid coverage
is only 10-20%. On the other hand, in Gujarat,
where the coverage is more than 85%, there has been
a spectacular increase in grain yield from 480 kg ha -1
in 1966-67 to 1120 kg ha -1 in 1984-85, which can be
largely attributed to hybrids. With 1.1 t ha -1 grown
on 1.2 million ha, a 200% production increase is the
result of the pearl millet hybrid era in Gujarat. The
importance of the pearl millet crop in Indian agriculture,
and the benefits from the use of hybrids, are
amply demonstrated by production and productivity
data over the last 25 years.
History
Pearl millet breeding began in India in the early
1930s with an emphasis on grain production. Initially,
open-pollinated populations were improved by mass
selection. The selections were made on the basis of
long, well-filled, compact heads, which ripened uniformly
and yielded more grain. The improved populations
were tested as varieties, e.g., C02, C03, A K P
1, A K P 2, RSJ, RSK, T 55, Babapuri, Nadiad 207,
and S-28-15-2. Subsequently, mass selections from
introduced African populations were released as
varieties. S230 and Pusa M o t i are two examples.
Prior to the availability of male-sterile lines,
attempts were made in the early 1950s to exploit
heterosis in pearl millet by building "chance" hybrids,
mixtures of 40% hybrids and 60% parental genotypes.
These hybrids were produced by planting
equal proportions of parental inbred lines which
flower at same time, and allow them to mate in
isolation. These hybrids were released in India in the
early 1950s, and outyielded the standard varieties by
10%. Chance hybrids did not become popular
because of their limited productivity, narrow range
of adaptability, and lack of seed production programs
(Gill 1983).
The cytoplasmic male-sterile lines Tift 23A and
18A were bred by Burton in the USA (Burton 1958).
In India, two more sources of cytoplasmic male
sterility, L66A and L67A, were isolated at Ludhiana
during 1961-62 (Athwal 1965). These sources were
identified as different from Tift 23A (Burton and
Athwal 1967). The three sources are designated as
A,, originally identified in Tift 23A, A 2 identified in
Tift L66A, and A 3 identified in Tift L67A (Burton
and Powell 1968).
The use of cytoplasmic male sterility for Indian
hybrid breeding started in 1962 with the introduction
of Tift 23 A from the USA. The hybrids based on
male-sterile lines were first tested in India in 1963.
The progress of hybrids in India is reviewed in this
paper. Hybrid breeding and utilization can be
divided into distinct phases based on seed parent
used, release year, and disappearance of hybrids
from commercial cultivation (Harinaryana 1977).
First Phase
The first phase is characterized by the release of five
hybrids, HB 1 to HB 5, during 1965-72 (Table 2).
Table 1. Area, production and productivity of millets.
Crop
1960-65
1965-70
1970-75
1975-80
1980-85
Millets
Area (ha x 10 6 )
Production (t x 10 6 )
Yield (kg ha")
18.38
7.81
427
19.47
7.93
406
19.27
9.47
487
18.17
9.68
532
17.81
10.10
568
Pearl millet
Area (ha x 10 6 )
Production (t x 10 6 )
11.33
3.85
12.31
4.51
12.34
5.61
11.07
5.16
11.55
5.91
Yield (kg h a ' )
340
365
447
465
512
122