Sep 2014 Pearl Millet Cultivars for Grain and Fodder Production • Pearl millet culvated on 8.5 million ha in India • Naonal average grain yield is about 1000 kg ha -1 Culvar Opons • Open-Pollinated Variees (OPVs): suitable for low rainfall areas with less input management • Hybrids: suitable for irrigable areas and beer endowed environment with high input management Promising hybrids for grain producon HHB 67- Improved: a hybrid for marginal environments • Earliest maturing (60-65 days) with 15 to 20 quintals grain and 41 quintals dry fodder yield per ha • Seed of this hybrid is available with Naonal Seed Corporaon and APSDC. Private Companies hybrids • Several hybrids have been developed by Seed Companies, having grain yield ranging from 35 to 45 quintals and fodder yield ranging from 70 to 120 quintals per ha (Fig 1). • XL 51 from Bayer Bioscience, Ajeet 38 from Ajeet Seeds, 86M86 from Pioneer Overseas Corporaon, and JKBH 676 from JK AgriGenecs. Exclusive Fodder culvars • High yielding forage variety have been developed at ICRISAT that gives 120-130 quintals of dry fodder yield/ha in single cut (Fig 2) • Mul-cut high yielding forage hybrid also being developed at ICRISAT that give 150-160 quintals/ha cumulave dry fodder yield. Fig 1. High yielding grain hybrid Fig 2. High yielding forage variety. High-Iron Pearl Millet Variety: Dhanashak • Dhanashak has high iron content (71 mg kg -1 ), it matures in 76-78 days, has 2.2 t ha -1 grain yield, 13% higher dry fodder yield than ICTP 8203 and well adopted to low ferlity dry areas (Fig 3) • Seed of this variety is available with Nirmal Seeds Company. Fig 3. High iron variety ‘Dhanashakti’ This work is undertaken as part of