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Diagnostic Methods For Breeding Pearl Millet With Farmers In Rajasthan

OAR@ICRISAT

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/4732/
 
Title Diagnostic Methods For Breeding Pearl Millet With Farmers In Rajasthan
 
Creator Weltzien, E
Whitaker, M L
Dhamotharan, M
 
Subject Millets
 
Description The role of local farmers in ICRISAT's pearl millet improvement project for Rajasthan has
changed: from unidentifiedsuppliers oflocalgermplasm to the base materialof a formal breeding
program, to active collaborators in selection and variety development. On-farm trials, designed
to expose farmers to a wide range of diversity for traits that the local landraces do not'possess,
provided the starting point for this change in farmers' roles.
Farmers' evalua tions of this new diversity have provided insight into theirpreferences for specific
traits and their production objectives, thus allowing the breeding program to focus on improving
traits of primay interest for farmers in the target region. Farmers from different regions, and
farmers representing different socialgroups prefer different traits and place different emphasis
on yield stability versus maximizing yield in favorable years.
Interested farmers have selected among a widerrange of advanced experin~entavl arieties in onstation
trials. Their selections reflect the needs of their conlmunities and production conditior)s.
Farmers' traditional strategies for seed selection andpreservation vary among individuals willlin
a village and across regions. Farn?ers are exploiting the variability generated by the natural
outcrossing between the local landraces and the experitnental cultivars. An initial on-station
evaluation of the effect of this selection indicates that farmers are selecting elfeclively for
improved productivity.
 
Date 1995
 
Type Conference or Workshop Item
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Rights —
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/4732/1/CP_1047.pdf
Weltzien, E and Whitaker, M L and Dhamotharan, M (1995) Diagnostic Methods For Breeding Pearl Millet With Farmers In Rajasthan. In: Using Diversity Enhancing And Maintaining Genetic Resources On-Farm Proceedings Of A Workshop , 19-21 June 1995, New Delhi, India.