Pearl millet (
Pennisetum glaucum
(L.) R. Br.) is a staple food that supplies a major proportion of calories and protein to large segments of the populations living in the semi‐arid tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The crop is supremely adapted to heat and aridity, and production is likely to increase as the world gets hotter and drier. The grain is nutritious, and has higher protein and energy levels than maize or sorghum. Pearl millet has an abundant natural diversity with approximately 140 species or subspecies belonging to the genus
Pennisetum
. Detailed genetic maps of pearl millet of some 300 loci spread over 7 linkage groups are available and 3437 pearl millet sequences have been deposited in the National Centre for Biotechnology Information database. Breeding objectives for pearl millet include tolerance to drought, enhanced nutritional quality, adaptation to saline conditions, stover feeding value, high tillering, and resistance to major pearl millet diseases such as downy mildew, ergot, smut, rust, and head mold of pearl millet. A new green revolution will necessitate the application of recent advances in plant breeding, including new tissue culture techniques, marker‐aided selection, mutagenesis, and genetic modification to meet our increasing requirement for food, feed, fodder, and fuel, with cereal grains playing a pivotal role.