Establishing Breeding Priorities for Developing Biofortified High-Yielding Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) Varieties and Hybrids in Dosso Region of Niger

Abstract

West Africa is the origin and epicenter of pearl millet genetic diversity. Niger is a standalone country that produces 3.5 million tons of pearl millet from an area of 6.7 million hectares, with productivity varying from 0.5 to 0.7 t/ha. Low grain yield is a result of low soil fertility, drought, downy mildew, head miner, and the non-utilization of improved and quality seeds. Around 30 pearl millet varieties were released in Niger, but the adoption rate of improved varieties is still lagging. There has been no systematic mapping implemented for new varieties’ adoption preferences and the availability of quality seeds. Considering this and assessing the need for biofortified cultivars, the present participatory study was conducted in the Dosso region of Niger, wherein high rates of malnutrition persist. This study aimed (i) to identify breeding priorities for key traits of pearl millet preferred by farmers, with gender-based segregation, for varieties and hybrids, and (ii) to survey the preference for biofortified varieties with added nutritional value. Structured questionnaires and focus groups were used to collect data from 150 randomly selected respondents in 12 villages from three representative departments of Dogondoutchi, Dosso, and Gaya. The results reveal that pearl millet is a primary staple crop grown (98% of respondents) and consumed on a daily basis as food and also used as feed for their animals. The majority of farmers preferred a long panicle (50.7%) and a good seed set (45.3%). For grain traits, a white color (50%) and larger size (100%) were predominantly preferred, which fetches them higher prices in the market, where they compete with sorghum grains. All respondents unanimously rated growing biofortified pearl millet varieties as high (100%), owing to higher Fe and Zn, in addition to yield. Furthermore, 99.3% of farmers perform grain decortication before consumption, thus potentially depleting staple grain nutrition, which is expedient for pearl millet biofortification in the region. This study has the potential for establishing pearl millet breeding priorities that are likely to be employed for other West African pearl millet breeding programs.

Industrial interests and requirements for improvement of pearl millet, a gluten-free and climate-smart underutilized cereal

“…In contrast to the adoption of pearl millet hybrid cultivars by Indian farmers several decades ago, agricultural practices in Africa predominantly center on traditional landraces and open-pollinated varieties (Ben Romdhane et al 2019;Riahi et al 2021;Sattler and Haussmann 2020). The acceptance of hybrids and improved varieties in Africa remains low (Gaoh et al 2023). This has led to consistently lower production yields for this species in African countries compared to those recorded in Asia, as evidenced by lower ratios of production (tons) to cultivated areas (ha) (Fig.…”

Characterization of prolamin storage protein profiles in Tunisian pearl millet landraces toward better utilization and improvement

“…Pearl millet ( Pennisetum glaucum L., Poaceae) is a cross‐pollinated cereal crop originating from the West Africa region, which represents its center of diversity (Gaoh et al, 2023). It is a climate‐resilient staple crop reported to be the most productive cereal in the arid and semiarid areas of Africa and Asia (Serba & Yadav, 2016).…”