Pearl millet genetic variability for grain yield and micronutrients in the arid zone of India

Abstract

Micronutrient deficiency has become a global threat and especially, people inhabiting in developing countries who predominantly feed on cereal diet are more prone to this micronutrient malnutrition. Millets are nutri-cereals which can combat with this malnutrition. Among all the millets, pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) is a rich source of essential amino acids and minerals like Fe and Zn content. Improvement of pearl millet with micronutrients and grain yield can be aimed by exploiting the genetic variability existing in the population. Hence, the present study was aimed to understand the genetic variability and correlation of micronutrients, grain yield and other agronomic traits. The result from Analysis of Variance studied in 130 pearl millet lines revealed significant variation for all 13 traits under study. GCV and PCV were high for Fe content, grain yield and number of productive tillers/plant, which revealed the presence of larger variation for these traits. The correlation of grain yield with all the agronomic traits studied indicates that indirect selection of simply inherited agronomic traits can assist in effective selection for grain yield. Among micronutrients, the association Fe and Zn content was high and they did not show any significant correlation with other agronomic traits. Hence, Fe and Zn content can be enhanced together in the grain and at the same time, there is a chance of getting a line with high grain yield, high Fe and Zn content.