Hybrids had yield superiority over 30-40% over local checks. Seventeen hybrids had average yield across locations and seasons of >3.0 t/ha representing more than 50% yield advantage.Hybrids developed in ICRISAT-Asia could easily fit in ESA conditions. A much larger number of highly diverse seed and pollinator parents used in hybrids targeting niche adaptation in different zones.

1. Fast-track identification and upscaling
of pearl millet hybrids in Sub-Sahelian
Africa under Indo-African Public-Private
Sector Partnership
SK Gupta
Rajan Sharma
M Govindaraj
Prakash Gangashetty
Henry Ojulong

2. Background of idea : Success story of pearl millet
hybrids in India
• In 1960s, entire about 11 m ha area of pearl millet
in India was under OPVs
• First Pearl millet hybrid HB-1 released in 1965
• Handful of hybrids in 1960-70s
• Era of Downy mildew epidemics (1970-1980s)
• 1970s, private sector seed companies started
entering pearl millet hybrid breeding
• By 1990s about 50% area was under hybrids
• By 2000 about 60% area amounting to about 4 to
5 m ha under hybrids

3. y = 4.2x
y = 4.1x
y = 13.0x
y = 26.3x
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015
GrainYield(Kg/ha)
1950-65 1966-80 1981-1995 1996-2015
Period Most distinguishing feature
Phase – I
1950-65
Pre-hybrid phase, few open-
pollinated varieties and mostly
traditional cultivars largely grown
Phase - II
1965-80
Witnessed hybrid development in
pearl millet, a few hybrids
dominated cultivation, periodic
downy mildew epidemics were
common
Phase – III
1981-95
A large number of hybrids based
on genetically diverse parental
lines developed; downy mildew
was largely contained
Phase – IV
1996-till date
A much larger number of highly
diverse seed and pollinator parents
used in hybrids targeting niche
adaptation in different zones
Source: Up-dation from Yadav and Rai 2013
The values indicate annual rate of improvement in pearl millet yield in Kgs/ha/year
Hybrids brought change to pearl millet
productivity in India!

4. Pearl millet and downy mildew in India
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1949-50
1952-53
1955-56
1958-59
1961-62
1964-65
1967-68
1970-71
1973-74
1976-77
1979-80
1982-83
1985-86
1988-89
1991-92
1994-95
1997-98
2000-01
2003-04
2006-07
2009-10
2012-13
2015-16
Yield(kg/hectare)
Years
Downy mildew epidemics

5. Sahel since 1961:
Millet Yield and Area Cultivated vs. Population
(FAO, 2015)

6. Africa represents a significant market
● 54 countries - 1.1 bn population (936 m
in SSA)
● High demand for food forecasted (rapid
population growth, urbanization)
● Agricultural sector largely reliant on
smallholder farmers (70 million in SSA)
• Reliance on informal seed channels
(commercial seed market accounts for
only around 10% of total seed use)
● Seeds demand exceeds supply
Access to quality seeds remains an issue –
opportunity for seed companies
Slide shared by:
Syngenta Foundation for
Sustainable Agriculture

7. Pearl millet - Global-regions and their major
challenges
Region Area
(m ha)
Major
countries
GY/ha Challenges
Eastern
and
Southern
Africa (ESA)
4.0 Sudan
Tanzania
Uganda
0.5 Drought, Striga weed
Western
and Central
Africa
(WCA)
16.0 Niger
Nigeria
Mali
Burkina
Faso
Senegal
0.8 Drought, Striga weed, DM,
Insects- Head-miner, low soil
fertility
Hybrids dominate Asia, while OPVs still cultivated in ESA and
WCA

8. Nedumaran et al. 2014
Millet demand in SA, ESA, and WCA (2010-2050)
(IMPACT model)
Analysis of future demand scenario of millets

9. Proof of concept!
ESA pearl millet hybrids
evaluation
Thirty six hybrids from ICRISAT
India evaluated at KALRO-
Kiboko, Kenya (Kiboko) and
DRD-Miwaleni, Tanzania
(Miwaleni) during 2012-2014
Hybrids had yield superiority over 30-40%
over local checks
Seventeen hybrids had average yield
across locations and seasons of >3.0 t/ha
representing more than 50% yield
advantage.
Hybrids developed in ICRISAT-Asia could
easily fit in ESA conditions
Improved
Hybrids
Local
checks

10. Pearl millet earliness (days to 50% flowering)
and grain yield (kg/ha) in Cinzana, Mali, 2013
58
54
56
57
59
61
67
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Pmil-A
Pmil-B
Pmil-C
Pmil-D
Pmil-E
Local check Sosat
Local check Toroniou
518
1423
1524
1992
1659
961 1001
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Pmil-A Pmil-B Pmil-C Pmil-D Pmil-E Local
check
Sosat
Local
check
Toroniou
Seeds2B Africa Program of Syngenta
Foundation for Sustainable
Agriculture, 2014

11. 46
46
47
50
54
46
53
52
54
54
55
40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56
Pmil-A
Pmil-B
Pmil-C
Pmil-D
Pmil-E
Pmil-F
Pmil-G
Pmil-H
Local check Souna 3
Local check Sosat C88
Local check Thialack 2
Pearl millet earliness (days to 50% flowering) and
grain yield (kg/ha) in Sinthiou Malem, Senegal, 2013
2800
3700
3100
4200
1600
4600
1800
2500
3900
2400 2500
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
Seeds2B Africa Program of Syngenta
Foundation for Sustainable
Agriculture, 2014

12. Two operating models - “Connect & Build”
Private
Breeders
CGIAR
Breeders
National
Program
Breeders
PPP
Breeding
Local private
Seed-Co
Licensing
platform
(Build model)
Seed
companies
Farmer
aggregators
Local distributors
Trials
platform
(Connect)
Sources of germplasm
Slide shared by:
Syngenta Foundation for
Sustainable Agriculture

13. Road map
• Consultations with Indian and African Public and private
sector research institutions
• Identification of potential released/Pipeline hybrids
• Discussions with ICRISAT scientists, Syngenta Foundation
• Development of testing network across ESA and WCA
regions
• Multi-location evaluation of pipeline hybrids
• Identification of promising hybrids
• Interaction of seed companies across India and Africa to
upscale identified hybrids (Business model)
• Seed production trainings/ capacity building/….

14. Challenges
• Several pearl millet hybrids evaluated from Indian
seed companies in the past
• Despite acceptable yields for some of them, not
easily convincing for the following reasons:
- Short duration
- Susceptibility to DM (African pathotypes)
- Panicle shape different than local shape
• Even if promising hybrids are identified, seed
companies not prepared to plan/invest in the
commercialization of products

15. EXPECTED OUTPUTS
• In 5 years, about 30-40 pearl millet hybrids on
farmers field in some of ESA and WCA countries
• Capacity and resources for Hybrid seed
production in WCA and ESA
• Established NARS-Seed companies strong
collaboration across regions

16. PARTNERS
• PMHPRC members- Seed companies (India, ESA
and WCA)
• Syngenta Foundation
• African Seed companies
• ICRISAT
Expected Budget
1 million USD per annum x 5 years

17. Way forward
• Help to engage other institutions/organizations which have
testing networks to join this platform, like Syngenta
Foundation, Seed Co and others
• Initial support to project proposing team to develop testing
network in African locations
• ICRISAT management to involve concerned germplasm experts
and different agencies (Quarantine, Syngenta Foundation) to
develop mechanisms to export seed easily to African countries
• ICRISAT management to prepare white paper to strategize on
how to convince local governments of African countries for
their support to upscale identified hybrids quickly.

18. Thank You