Three high protein (HP) inbred lines (7001 12, WC-I 90 and B-816) of pearl millet were studied for their nutritional quality and the results compared with those of normal protein varieties. The protein content of H P lines showed an average increase of 60% but the starch and soluble sugars togerher and the far content decreased by 40 and 20%, respectively. Total dietary fibre of the H P lines was about 10% higher. A decrease (about 20%) in the albumin fraction was associated with an increase in prolamin in H P lines. The amino acid composition of the H P lines remained normal except for an approximately 16% decrease in lysine. However, the total amount of lysine in the sample increased by an average of 37%, as a result of a substantial increase in protein content. True protein digestibility was very high for each line but, expectedly, the biological value was markedly lower. The values for utilisable protein were highest for high protein genotypes. Digestible energy was high in all the genotypes, although slightly lower values were obtained for the H P lines; this was attributed to the fibre fractions.
Mass selection is a technique widely used in both population and pedigree breeding of pearl millet, Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. To determine the feasibility of mass selecting for 19 agronomic traits of pearl millet, we (i) estimated trait heritabilities on both a singleplant and a progeny-mean basis and (ii) observed responses of Sp rogenies to divergent selection on parental So plants. Fourteen hundred and forty So spaced plants from each of three pearl millet composites were self-pollinated and evaluated for 19 traits at Patancheru, India on a Udic Rhodostaif soil. Random samples of 289 S~ progenies from each So population were evaluated for these same traits in triple-lattice experiments at the same location. Heritabilities estimated on a progeny-mean basis were all significantly (P 0.01) larger than zero. Heritabilities estimated on a single-plant basis were highest for traits such as panicle length (0.64), plant height (0.58), and seed weight (0.52); they were intermediate straw yield (0.40); and they were lowest for grain yield (0.29), threshing ratio (0.24), and harvest index (0.23), averaged across composites. Divergent selection of the highest and lowest decile of So plants identified S~ progenies with significantly (P < 0.05) increased and decreased means, respectively, for panicle and seed characteristics in all composites and for grain yield in two of the composites. Selection for increased efficiency of dry matter partitioning, however, was ineffective. The observed heritability values suggest that mass selection of pearl millet can be effective for all traits examined, with the rate of gain being proportional to the magnitude of those values.
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