نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 استادیار پژوهش، موسسه تحقیقات اصلاح و تهیه نهال و بذر، سازمان تحقیقات، آموزش و ترویج کشاورزی، کرج، ایران
2 استادیار پژوهش، مرکز تحقیقات و آموزش کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی سیستان، سازمان تحقیقات، آموزش و ترویج کشاورزی، زابل، ایران
3 استادیار پژوهش، مرکز تحقیقات و آموزش کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی خراسان جنوبی، سازمان تحقیقات، آموزش و ترویج کشاورزی، بیرجند، ایران
4 دانشیار پژوهش، مرکز تحقیقات و آموزش کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی اصفهان، سازمان تحقیقات، آموزش و ترویج کشاورزی، اصفهان، ایران
5 دانشیار پژوهش، موسسه تحقیقات اصلاح و تهیه نهال و بذر، سازمان تحقیقات، آموزش و ترویج کشاورزی، کرج، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Comperehensive Abstract
Introduction
Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is one of the most important crops in hot and arid regions, playing a key role in food security across dry and semi-arid areas of the world. Given its cross-pollinated nature and high heterosis potential, the development of hybrid cultivars is the main breeding strategy in pearl millet. Due to climate change and increasing environmental fluctuations, the need to develop high-yielding and stable hybrids has become more crucial than ever. Breeding hybrid varieties of pearl millet can significantly enhance both yield and stability under diverse agro-climatic conditions. However, environmental variability causes differential genotypic responses, making it essential to assess genotype–environment interactions (G × E) for selecting superior hybrids across locations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of promising pearl millet hybrids and to identify stable, high-yielding, and well-adapted hybrids for the target regions.
Materials and Methods
The experimental material consisted of eleven promising pearl millet hybrids along with the check cultivar ‘Mehran’. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications across eight environments (four locations: Karaj, Birjand, Isfahan, and Zabol, during two cropping seasons, 2022 and 2023). The traits evaluated included days to 50% flowering, plant height, panicle length, panicle diameter, number of tillers, 1000-grain weight, and grain yield. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS software, and mean comparisons were conducted using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT). For combined analysis of variance, genotype and location were considered fixed factors, while year was treated as a random factor. Stability analyses were performed using the Lin and Binns method, rank-based stability parameters, and the GGE biplot model to identify stable and high-yielding hybrids.
Research finding
Combined analysis of variance and mean comparison revealed significant genetic variability among the hybrids for all studied traits. Grain yield was notably affected by both environmental conditions and genotype × environment interactions. The genotypes exhibited both crossover and non-crossover types of interactions. The results showed that hybrids H794 and H824 achieved the highest grain yields of 8.41 and 7.81 t ha⁻¹, respectively. Stability analysis based on the three methods (rank-based, superiority index, and GGE biplot) across eight environments demonstrated that these two promising hybrids (H794 and H824) combined high yield with good stability across all test environments.
Conclusion
This study clearly demonstrated the potential of exploiting heterosis in pearl millet to replace obsolete cultivars with modern high-yielding hybrids. All evaluated hybrids outperformed the check cultivar ‘Mehran’, indicating their superiority for yield improvement. Introducing these promising hybrids could significantly enhance the national average grain yield of pearl millet. Moreover, considering the ongoing water scarcity crisis in the country, the dissemination of high-yielding and drought-efficient hybrids could encourage farmers to cultivate this low-water-requirement crop.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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