Collaborative research between ICRISAT and the Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) resulted in a new hybrid, HHB 67-2, resistant to downy mildew (DM) (caused by fungus Sclerospora graminicola). It was the first ever product of marker-assisted breeding in pearl millet to be released for cultivation in India.   By rapidly adopting the improved hybrid, farmers in Haryana and Rajasthan can avoid grain losses worth about Rs 28.8 , in the first year of a major DM outbreak. In years of severe DM attack, up to 30% of the pearl millet harvest can be lost (income losses are estimated from an average grain yield of 800 kg per hectare, and a minimum selling price of Rs 3 per kg).

Photo: ICRISAT