The Hindu Business Line : New hybrid pearl millet variety developed

FARMERS growing pearl millet in Haryana and Rajasthan need not fear the downy mildew (DM) disease any longer. A new hybrid — HHB 67-2, which is resistant to the disease, has been developed jointly by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat), and the Haryana Agricultural University (HAU).

It is the first product of marker-assisted breeding in pearl millet to be released for cultivation. The Haryana State Varietal Release Committee approving its release on January 14. The new hybrid is an improved version of the popular pearl millet hybrid HHB 67.

According to Dr William Dar, Director General of Icrisat, the new hybrid HHB 67-2 brings to the farmers additional benefits, even while retaining the qualities of the earlier popular hybrid. Dr C. Tom Hash, Principal Scientist, said it is the first product of a 15-year series of projects supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK Government.

The original HHB 67 is now grown on at least 4,00,000 hectares in Haryana and Rajasthan. It was released in 1990 by HAU and is popular since it matures very quickly - within 65 days - thereby escaping the end-of-season drought and providing an opportunity for double cropping.

The fungus — Sclerospora graminicola causes DM, a major disease affecting pearl millet. If the plants are infected at an early stage, their growth gets stunted and they die. Infection at later stages results in failure of grain formation.

By adopting the improved hybrid, farmers in Haryana and Rajasthan can avoid grain losses approximating Rs 28.8 crore, in the first year of a major DM outbreak. In years of severe DM attack, up to 30 per cent of the pearl millet harvest can be lost. The income losses due a severe DM outbreak on HHB 67 can be estimated from an average grain yield of 800 kg per ha, and a minimum selling price of Rs 3 per kg.

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