Improving production potential of sorghum
and finger millets through genetic
improvement and participatory farmer
research for development
Biruma M., Dramadri I., Liri C., Mayada M.
Beshir, Bombom A. and Okori P.

Why sorghum & finger millet
• Widely cultivated throughout the
East African region
• Well adapted for dry and semi-arid
tropical regions
• Earmarked as critical crop
investment vehicles that can help
deliver the millennium development
goals

• Major drawback to
increased sorghum and
millet production
• Low competitiveness of
both crops in terms of
yield and market
penetration due to
limited value added
products

Biotic and abiotic stresses further
compromises the yield

• Exploiting genetic diversity through crop genetics
provides one of the most effective ways to address
both challenges
• The goal of our work is to improve yield
performance of both crops by:
1. Developing sorghum genotypes with multiple resistance
(focus foliar diseases [Anthracnose & TLB], drought
and striga
2. Development of niche specific sorghum varieties
3. Utilise wild finger millet relatives to improve cultivated
finger millet

• Both field and green
house experiments
under controlled
environments were
used

Reaction of sorghum genotypes to Striga,
foliar diseases and drought
Head
Striga wt 100gr. Height DTF GLA Vigour Ant. TLB
Genotype (/m²) (g) wt (g) (cm) (Days) (%) (1-5) (1-5) (1-5)
120 0 84.9 2.42 76.7 69 100 3.0 2.5 3.5
121 0 41.3 2.83 79.6 74 100 2.6 1.0 2.2
MUK31 10 105.1 2.70 134.9 59.7 94.6 2.0 1.0 1.1
MUK13 19 89.3 2.71 134.3 58.3 98.9 2.6 1.1 1.2
ANT47 15 97.7 2.46 65.2 63.4 96.8 3.4 1.9 1.0
BAS 42 82.9 3.26 80.5 69 92 1.5 3.0 3.4
MUK154 43 101.4 1.94 118.7 59.4 81.9 1.9 3.0 1.9
ENT26 44 68.3 2.54 137.4 66.9 92.7 2.9 2.2 2.6
E78 48 81.2 2.92 153.8 64.6 90.0 2.2 3.5 2.6
MUK27 49 108.7 2.91 197.1 62.6 79.8 2.7 1.1 2.0
ANT33 53 65.0 1.70 183.5 70.6 87.4 2.0 1.4 2.0
ENT173 54 58.9 2.89 137.8 58.2 79.0 2.4 3.4 3.0

• To promote
variety adoption a
participatory
variety selection
is being used

Development of niche specific sorghum
varieties
• Nutrient analysis of
promising lines
• Trials on poultry
and piggery feed
formulations

Overview of finger millet work: See
poster for details
• Focus drought, tillering
ability, blast resistance
and grain yield
improvement
• Crosses between the
cultivated and wild
relative (E. africana & E.
kigeziensis)

• Crosses between
cultivated finger
millet and wild
relatives(allotetraplo
ids) of diverse
origins are possible
producing superior
fertile hybrids.
• Potential for
tillering, earliness,
drought and high
grain yield
improvement

• Reaction of F2
plants to drought
stress