Record Details

Sorghum Improvement for Semi-Arid Tropics Region : Past Current and Future Research Thrusts in Asia

OAR@ICRISAT

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/7003/
 
Title Sorghum Improvement for Semi-Arid Tropics Region : Past Current and Future Research Thrusts in Asia
 
Creator Reddy, B V S
Stenhouse, J W
 
Subject Semi-arid tropics
Sorghum
Asia
 
Description Sorghum Is widely grown in the Semi-Arid Tropics (SAT) for food, feed, fodder arid forage.
Although India and Africa represent the major sorghum growing areas, grain yield levels are low
compared to those in the developed world. An attempt Is made to summarize the relevant research
thrusts that have implications on Improving sorghum genetically.
The cultivated taxa, Sorghum bico lo r (L.) Moench with 2n = 20 were evolved and domesticated
in North Eastern Africa. Based on spikelet characters, they are grouped into five racescaudatum,
guinea, kafir, durra and bicolor and ten hybrid races. The cultivated forms probably
arose from S. verticihiflorum. Nearly 35000 landraces collected from 87 countries are being maintained
at ICRISAT Asia Center, Hyderabad, India. -
Initial attempts to breed sorghum were in understanding inheritance of several morphological traits
based on mendelian factors and breeding for specific adaptation. The establishment of All India
Coordinated Sorghum Improvement Project in 1970, and International Crops Research Institute for
the Semi-Arid Tropics with sorghum as one of its mandate crop in 1972 and the initiation of conversion
program in USA in early part of 1960s demonstrated that wide adaptability and high yield can be
combined and also produced materials which contributed well to several national programs in the SAT.
Recurrent selection methods adopted with the help of genetic male sterile genes were not as effective
as pedigree/backcross methods to achieve high yield. Discovery of genetic-cytoplasmic male sterility
in 1954 enabled hybrid seed production cost effective, and it was established soon that hybrids were
superior to varieties across all ranges of environments. Several high yielding hybrids were produced and
released. Soon, lack of resistance to various yield constraints was recognized.
Current research portfolios involve breeding of male-sterile and restorer lines in diversified
cytoplasmic background for resistance to various yield constraints with high grain fodder yield. The
goal is to produce high yielding resistant cultivars. Future strategies of sorghum improvement for SAT is
encoded in ICRISAT's Medium Term Plan which recognized a total of 29 production systems, five
adaptation zones, and a multidisciplinary research strategy of producing high yielding resistant parents,
and developing integrated pest, diseases, soil and water management methods.
 
Date 1994
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Rights —
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/7003/1/PKV-Res-J_18_2_1994.pdf
Reddy, B V S and Stenhouse, J W (1994) Sorghum Improvement for Semi-Arid Tropics Region : Past Current and Future Research Thrusts in Asia. PKV Reserach Journal, 18 (2). pp. 155-169.