Evaluation of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) Genotypes for Yield and Yield-contributing Traits
Ashish Kumar
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Mahipat Singh *
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Mousmi Syed
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Ramratan Moond
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Mahendra Kumar Yadav
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Pearl millet is a climate-resilient cereal and fodder crop, but genotype-specific performance under semi-arid Bundelkhand conditions requires local evaluation. The present study assessed twelve pearl millet genotypes for ten quantitative traits during the kharif season of 2025 at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India. The experiment was conducted in a randomised block design with three replications, and observations were recorded for flowering, plant architecture, grain yield, dry matter yield, and green fodder yield. Analysis of variance indicated highly significant differences among genotypes for all evaluated traits, demonstrating substantial variability within the experimental material. NMH-68 flowered earliest at 61.33 days, whereas HHB-223 flowered latest at 80.00 days. MP-7792 attained the greatest plant height of 285.95 cm, JBH-1 recorded the greatest leaf length of 73.58 cm, and Nandi-61 produced the longest panicle of 56.90 cm. GHB-732 recorded the highest grain yield per plant at 18.05 g, followed by JHBH-676 and KBH-3940. Bio-448 produced the highest green fodder yield at 383.60 g and the highest dry matter yield at 76.44 g. Grain yield per plant showed the highest reported genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation, together with high heritability and genetic advance. The results identify GHB-732, Bio-448, JHBH-676, and KBH-3940 as promising material for further multilocation and multiseason evaluation before use in breeding programmes or broader recommendation.
Keywords: Pearl millet, genotype evaluation, grain yield, green fodder yield, dry matter yield, genetic variability, heritability, genetic advance, yield-contributing traits, semi-arid agriculture.