Evaluation of landraces and elite populations of pearl millet for their potential in genetic improvement for adaptation to drought-prone environments

Abstract

Pearl millet growing regions in north-western India are characteristically drought-prone which emphasizes the importance of drought tolerance for pearl millet cultivars targeted for these regions. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential of five each of landraces and elite composites by evaluating their 25 crosses under drought conditions of arid zone for three years. Variation in landraces and elite composites accounted for more than 60% of variation in crosses for various traits. Both landraces and elite composites possessed contrasting GCA effects showing their differential ability to produce crosses adapted to drought environments. While the landrace 220 had significant and positive effects for biomass and stover yield, the landrace 184 had significant negative effects for biomass, grain and stover yields. The landraces 235 and 238 largely produced grain type materials. Elite composites, in general, had much lesser effects than landraces. The elite composite 923 had maximum positive effects for grain yield which was presumably due to its positive significant effects for harvest index and average effect for biomass. The composite HHVBC had highest desirable effects for stover yield and hence can be a potential source of improving stover yield in the genetic background of elite material. The results showed that there existed exploitable differences in landraces and elite composites which can be utilized in genetic improvement for adaptation to drought-prone environments.