RA 00015.pdf - OAR@ICRISAT

Pathology. The large-scale field screening for
downy mildew resistance at ICRISAT Center
and the multilocational screening in Africa will
continue with an expansion of the latter. In this
way, sources of location-nonspecific resistance
will continue to be identified and incorporated
into the elite materials in the program. The
efficacy of seed treatment with Ridomil will be
evaluated on a multilocational basis.
By appropriate breeding procedures, lines low
in susceptibility to ergot will be used to develop
higher levels of resistance. The possibility of
control through pollen management will be
investigated.
Initial screening for smut resistance will continue
at Hissar and advanced screening will be
made at several locations in West Africa and at
Hissar. Smut resistance will be incorporated into
the breeding materials by appropriate breeding
methods.
With rust, investigations on variability in
causal species are required. The resistancescreening
work will continue with initial screening
at ICRISAT Center and Bhavanisagar and
advanced screening at several locations in India.
The levels of susceptibility to blast in our elite
materials will be investigated at known hotspots.
If necessary a screening program will be
organized to identify resistance and to incorporate
the resistance into breeding materials.
Nutritional quality. Standardization of methods
for protein estimation will make it possible to
handle a larger volume of materials for the
breeding program. More work will be focused on
other important areas, such as cooking quality
and digestibility.
Microbiology. In this program, the aim is to
determine if nitrogen-fixing bacteria closely associated
with roots of pearl millet have the
potential for reducing the amount of nitrogen
fertilizer required by the crop. Techniques for
measuring the amount of nitrogen fixation associated
with pearl millet cultivars will be refined,
and lines with enhanced nitrogen-fixing
capability will be sought.
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