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Integrating Genotype by Environment Interaction Analysis, Characterization of Drought Patterns, and Farmer Preferences to Identify Adaptive Plant Traits for Pearl Millet

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Title Integrating Genotype by Environment Interaction Analysis, Characterization of Drought Patterns, and Farmer Preferences to Identify Adaptive Plant Traits for Pearl Millet
 
Creator Oosterom, E J Van
Whitaker, M L
Weltzien, E
 
Subject Millets
 
Description The efficiency of crop improvement for variable stress environments can be
enhanced if adaptive plant traits (morpho-physiological and developmental)
can be identified. The desirability of a plant trait in an environment depends on
the expected patterns of drought stress, the attitude of farmers towards risk,
and on the specific requirements of the local farming system. The aim of this
chapter is to identify plant traits for pearl millet that enhance adaptation to the
harsh environments of Rajasthan (India), by combining analyses of drought
patterns, genotype by environment (GxE) interactions, and farmers' preferences
for plant traits. For environments covering the range of rainfall regimes
in Rajasthan, we identified drought patterns by estimating plant-available soil
water from long-term rainfall data. Environmental and genotypic causes of the
GxE interactions were obtained from a multi-environment trial. Village studies
provided information on farmers' responses to rainfall patterns and their preference
for plant traits. A decline in rainfall in Rajasthan from east to west was
associated with a shorter rainy season and increased, more unpredictable,
occurrence of drought stress. The GxE interaction showed that phenology was
an effective escape mechanism under terminal drought, but that developmental
plasticity is required if the dress occurrence is unpredictable. Early flowering of
pearl millet was of interest to many farmers across Rajasthan, but the preferred
yield component ranged from a large panicle size in wet areas to high tillering
(plasticity) in drier areas. This indicates the need for contrasting plant types
across rainfall regimes. High tillering was said to improve the fodder value and
to stabilize yield in dry seasons. This perception of risk avoidance in dry years
was also evident in the practice of replacing pearl millet by a long-duration
fodder legume and a short-duration dual-purpose legume for late plantings when drought is expected. Short-duration pearl millet varieties may provide
farmers with more opportunities to adjust to the variability in the onset of the
rains.
 
Publisher CAB Inernational
 
Date 1996
 
Type Book Section
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
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Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/4730/1/CP_1037.pdf
Oosterom, E J Van and Whitaker, M L and Weltzien, E (1996) Integrating Genotype by Environment Interaction Analysis, Characterization of Drought Patterns, and Farmer Preferences to Identify Adaptive Plant Traits for Pearl Millet. In: Plant Adaptation and Crop Improvement. CAB Inernational, Wallingford, Oxon, UK, pp. 383-402. ISBN 0851991084