ICRISAT Archival Report 2006 - The seedlings of success in the ...

To help guide ICRISAT and West-African NARS partners to appropriately include nutritional enhancement in
ongoing sorghum and millet variety development activities, a thorough review of literature was conducted. This
review compiled and synthesized the information for Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso on millet and sorghum
consumption, their contribution to overall diet and nutritional role, with special emphasis on micronutrients (iron
and zinc).
In Mali 85% children (6 to 59 months age) suffer from anaemia, 92% in Burkina Faso and the figures for Niger,
although not available, can not be any better. The deficiency of iron and zinc results in weak immune systems,
reduces growth and cognitive development, thus contributing to the alarming child mortality rates of around 25% as
well as restricting the potential of many of those who survive.
Micronutrient deficiencies may also be serious in adults as well, especially women. High rates of anaemia in
pregnant women in Burkina Faso (68%) and Mali (63%) may place women’s lives at risk during childbirth.
Millet and sorghum are confirmed to be the staple foods in the three countries, although rice is also important along
the Niger river in Mali. In Niger millet (70%) and sorghum (20%) account for 90% of total cereal consumption.
Their contributions, together with some maize, are similar in Burkina Faso (90%) and Mali (75%). These cereals
have tremendous dietary importance, as diets are primarily based on plant-derived products with relatively little
animal products. Sorghum and pearl millet contribute 67% to 90% to the total consumed energy (kilo calories).
Millet and sorghum are rich sources of the micronutrients iron and zinc and of B-vitamins. Calculations based on
mean iron and zinc levels from ICRISAT trials (pearl millet at Sadore, sorghum at Samanko) suggest that these
cereals provide 29-51% of iron and zinc required by children, the group suffering most serious levels of
micronutrient deficiencies and whose diets are based predominantly on millet and sorghum.
The review concludes that there needs to be both a) increase of bio-availability of existing sources of micronutrients
through better transformation and food preparation practices, including the combination with other foods to increase
absorption of iron and zinc, and b) exploiting the genetic diversity for iron and zinc contents in the staple cereals.
Marjolein Smit, H Fred W Rattunde and Eva Weltzien
Output target 3B2: Availability of genetically broad-based pearl millet and sorghum gene pools
To use the enormous variability among pearl millet and sorghum accessions from the WCA region for effective, and
sustainable varietal improvement we have started to develop broad based populations. These populations tend to be
well adapted to specific zones of adaptations, and harbour genetic variability for key traits targeted for improvement.
Some examples are: the development of a pearl millet population combining available sources of Striga resistance,
the guinea race sorghum population with reduced height due to reduced internode length, and thus improved stover
digestibility.
Activity 3B2.1: Population diversification and recurrent selection for farmer-preferred traits including Striga
hermonthica resistance in pearl millet
Milestone: At least three broad-based pearl millet populations developed and seed available for specific agroecologies
of WCA and available for distribution (2008)
Farmer-preferred parental materials for the diversified populations are being identified from the 2006 rainy season
trials (both on-station and on-farm) in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria. These will be crossed and
recombined in the off-season and rainy season 2007, to be made available in 2008.
BIG Haussmann
One highly diversified pearl millet genepool with improved resistance to Striga hermonthica developed for use
in West African breeding programs (2009)
A first screening of 64 pearl millet landraces from Niger was conducted in RS 2005 at Sadore under artificial striga
infestation. Out of the least sensitive populations, both S1 and Full-sib families were developed in the off-season
2005-06. These were then evaluated in artificially infested field trials at Sadore, and partially also in two on-farm
trials at Toroid and Falwel (both Niger) in the RS 2006. Data are being compiled.
BIG Haussmann
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