Pearl Millet Inbred and Testcross Performance under Low Phosphorus in West Africa

Abstract

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br] is a food security crop for millions living in drylands of Africa and Asia. Its production on acid sandy soils of the Sahel is limited by erratic rainfall and poor soil fertility, especially low P soils. We sought to elucidate the genetic variation in West and Central African landrace‐derived inbred lines for grain yield under low P conditions, to determine their performance as inbred lines per se and in hybrid combinations, and to determine quantitative‐genetic parameters to derive an appropriate breeding strategy to enhance grain yield under low P conditions. We evaluated a total of 155 landrace‐derived inbred lines as well as their testcrosses in four locations during two years under two treatments, high P (HP; with P fertilization) and low P (LP; without P fertilization). Results revealed significant effects for genotypes, P‐level, genotype × P‐level, as well as genotype × environment interactions. Grain yield reductions under LP treatment ranged from 7.9 to 35.5%, and 11.2 to 60.9% for inbred lines and testcrosses respectively, with positive midparent heterosis averaging 43.5% under LP. We conclude that direct selection of testcrosses under LP is more effective and that indirect selection for testross performance from inbred line performance is not desirable.

Identification of Combining Ability Patterns for Pearl Millet Hybrid Breeding in West Africa

“…The trial in Tara 2015 was not purposely planted in a flood‐prone field and 1 mo too late, but it was maintained in the data analysis to display an extreme but realistic stress environment. The two Senegalese locations in particular highlight the large genotype × year effect that is common in WA (Haussmann et al, 2012; Bashir et al, 2014a; Gemenet et al, 2014). The difference between the 2 yr shows drastically one of the major issues plant breeders have to face in WA—high interannual rainfall variability.…”

“…Moreover, its center of origin is WA (Manning et al, 2011). Therefore, a vast diversity for numerous agromorphological traits can be found in this region (Gemenet et al, 2014; Pucher et al, 2015; Gemenet et al, 2016a; Sattler et al, 2017). In an attempt to identify heterotic groups, Diack et al (2017) was able to distinguish early‐ from late‐flowering genotypes in Senegal using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, but not their combining ability and heterosis.…”

Characterization of West and Central African accessions from a pearl millet reference collection for agro-morphological traits and Striga resistance

“…Significant genetic variation regarding phosphorus efficiency related traits was found among 46 landraces and 54 improved open pollinated varieties under phosphorus-fertilized and phosphorus deficiency conditions (Gemenet et al, 2015b). Large variability for numerous agro-morphological traits was also reported for pearl millet by Gemenet et al (2014Gemenet et al ( , 2015a, Haussmann et al (2007), Pucher et al (2014) and Upadhyaya et al (2011).…”

Genome-based establishment of a high-yielding heterotic pattern for hybrid wheat breeding

“…S4), the result of constant exchanges of lines between wheat breeding programs (17). Nevertheless, it reflects the typical scenario for many crops that are in the infancy of hybrid breeding, including rice (33), barley (34), pearl millet (35), and pigeon pea (36). Thus, the framework for the recognition of heterotic groups developed in our study represents a central step forward in the introduction of sustainable hybrid varieties to the market for several important crops, with the final goal of meeting the global challenges of an increasing demand for food, feed, and fuel.…”