Morphological characterization
The morphological characterization of
Sulkhaniya Bajra was completed from the RMFITs based on the DUS descriptors for pearl millet (PPVFRA, 2015) (Table 1).
Sulkhaniya Bajra was tall and erect growth habits with early maturity. It is a short-duration variety with long spikes and small grains. The short-duration crop variety is the most preferred trait to overcome drought as the main constraint in semi-arid zones
(Hassan et al., 2014).
The plant height ranged between 181-216 cm and categorized it under tall variety with erect growth habit. The green nodes were 8-10 in number while three to eight total tillers and 2-3 productive tillers were recorded. The stay-green stalk of the variety was juicy, increasing the palatability of the fodder. The varieties having such traits can serve dual purposes for both grain and fodder purposes.
The spike exertion was complete with yellow anthers. The distinct compact and cylindrical very long spikes (50-81 cm) were bristled prominently and were marked with curved tips, a feature commonly observed among the local landraces and varieties with very long spikes where spike compactness and presence of bristles vary considerably among different genotypes as reported by
Satyavathi et al., (2018).
The small, globular and yellow-brown coloured seeds of the variety is a dominant trait preferred by farmers during selection. The yellow and orange colour of seeds is associated with the presence of carotenoids in different crops including pearl millet
(Sathya et al., 2014).
Researcher managed and farmer implemented trials (RMFITs)
The performance of
Sulkhaniya Bajra in comparison with local and standard checks at two locations in Jaipur (Zone VIII) reported a significant difference among the various treatments for yield and yield attributing traits. Among all the varieties tested,
Sulkhaniya Bajra recorded superior plant height at both locations (Table 2).
Sulkhaniya Bajra recorded 2.76% superiority in plant height than the at par variety RHB-173. The distinct earheads of
Sulkhaniya Bajra reported 59.58% increase in the earhead length over the best check RHB-173 in the pooled data of both locations. The earhead girth of RHB-173 was significantly superior to all checks and test variety at both locations while
Sulkhaniya Bajra recorded the lowest earhead girth (Table 2).
The grain yield of
Sulkhaniya Bajra was significantly superior over all the tested checks at both locations with a pooled overall increase of 12.09% over the best check RHB-173. Based on DUS characters,
Sulkhaniya Bajra recorded as early maturing which can contribute to its yield; a trait also considered as a good drought escape mechanism and enables escape from bird and pest damages ensures better yield; it is the most preferred trait over the late-maturing varieties by the farmers
(Andrews and Kumar, 1996).
Sulkhaniya Bajra also recorded superior earhead length and higher yield among checks. The earlier finding of
Gupta (2015) that ear length have a significant and positive correlation with grain yield is corroborating the present experimental results (Table 2).
The maximum dry fodder yield was recorded in RHB-173 at both locations with a 3.85% overall higher fodder yield over
Sulkhaniya Bajra.
Gupta (2015) recorded the higher stover yield of both RHB-173 and RHB-177 which is in corroboration with the present result obtained (Table 2).
Sulkhaniya Bajra characteristics like high yield, long compact ear heads, and better fodder quality have been reported
(NIF 2017).
Farmer managed and farmer implemented trials (FMFITs)
The performance and adaptability trials of
Sulkhaniya Bajra in comparison to local checks were done under FMFITs in Rajasthan (10-locations) and Gujarat (6-locations) states during 2016-2019. The performance of
Sulkhaniya Bajra was superior in all the traits recorded as compared to local checks at all the locations of Gujarat and Rajasthan. An increase of 12.13% and 32.17% in plant height over local check was observed in Gujarat and Rajasthan respectively (Table 3). The earhead length of
Sulkhaniya Bajra was significantly superior to local check with an increase of 61.88% in Gujarat and 64.03% in Rajasthan. As compared to local checks,
Sulkhaniya Bajra recorded with a 10.88% higher grain yield at Rajasthan, however, only 1.11% higher grain yield was recorded at Gujarat which did not reflect much difference between the local check and
Sulkhaniya bajra (Table 3). The combined average increase of 5.99 per cent in grain yield was reported across both states. Plant height, earhead length, and grain yield of
Sulkhaniya Bajra were maximum under Gujarat conditions in comparison to Rajasthan. The better performance of the variety in Gujarat may be attributed to the nutrient-rich soil and relative higher rainwater use efficiency resulting in better capture and use of nutrients in comparison to the xeric conditions in Rajasthan. This is in corroboration with the previous studies of
Rao et al., (1986) where he reported a significant difference in the length of earheads of
Sulkhaniya Bajra between two locations in different zones. Despite the differences between states, an interesting observation to note was that the
Sulkhaniya Bajra performed superior to local check in both states and was preferred by the farmers due to better performance under rainfed conditions with minimum inputs.
Farmer managed trials (FMTs)
The pooled earhead length and grain yield data of
Sulkhaniya Bajra for the farmer-managed trials (Fig 1) shows considerable differences in the traits between the states. Maximum earhead length and grain yield was reported from the state of Haryana (Zone VI) followed by Tamil Nadu (Zone X), Telangana (Zone X) and Maharashtra (Zone IX and XIII). The fluctuation in the pearl millet productivity is affected by the amount and distribution of rainfall along with the change in temperature and relative humidity in different years
(Sharma, 2014). Moreover, the existence of a suboptimal and multifold gap in attainable yield between the farmer practice and researcher-managed trials is evidenced
(Wani et al., 2009). The farmers’ feedback on the fodder quality of
Sulkhaniya Bajra reported a preference for both green and dry fodder. As compared to landraces, the commercial varieties and hybrids are characterized by shorter plant height and smaller thicker spikes
(Satyavathi et al., 2018); moreover, landraces have performed better in yields than modern cultivars due to better adaptations
(Witcombe et al., 1996) supports the present feedback recorded.
The popularity of the variety gradually increased based on the farmer’s participatory on-farm trials in different states. The sale of seeds by the innovator and the area covered increased near around five times during the period 2016 to 2020 (Fig 2) through the incubation support of NIF. Crop varietal innovations and the management of crop genetic resources directly involve the farmers, especially in the small and marginal farming systems of arid and semi-arid regions
(Bellon and van Etten, 2014). As evidenced in the present study, given a choice, the farmers will choose the varieties that are better adapted to climatic and biotic stressors providing nutritional and economic security. In the arid agroecosystems, crop and livestock production is interdependent. Farmers across the globe have shown a preference for the crop varieties with better grain and fodder yield potential under stressed and unfavourable conditions similar to
Sulkhaniya Bajra as reported previously
(Kumari et al., 2016).
