IMPROVEMENT OF PEARL MILLET

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ARE TO DETERMINE HOW TO: 1)ACCELERATE PM YIELD BY CREATING WIDELY ADAPTED,HIGH YIELDING POPS,AND SYNTHETIC VARIETIES FOR LDC"S; 2)DETERMINE PM FACTORS RELATED TO THE GENETIC VARIABILITY IN SEED & SEEDING VIGOR,WATER USE,DROUGHT RESISTANCE,AND HERVICIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY; 3)DETERMINE NUTRITIONAL & DIGESTIBILITY; AND 4)DETERMINE PM STORAGE STABILITY. SITED STUDIES CONTAIN INTRODUCTNS,RESEARCH METHODS,CONCLUSNS,AND LITERATURE USED IN CONJUNCTN W/RESEARCH. IN COMPILING DATA CONCERNING PM,4 INTERNATL TRAVEL COORDINATED PROGRAMS WERE HELD DURING WHICH 125 PM RESEARCH PERSONNEL IN 12 COUNTRIES WERE CONTACTED. ALTHOUGH RESULTS INDICATE THAT PM HYBRIDS ARE CAPABLE OF YIELDS EQUAL TO SORGHUM HYBRIDS UNDER THE SAME CONDITNS,THOSE PRESENTLY UNDER CULTIVATN ARE LOW IN YIELD,TOO TALL,AND OF A SMALL SEED SIZE. IN THE STUDIES DEALING WITH SEED VIABILITY CONDUCTED BY KSU,IT WAS DETERMINED THAT PM TOLERATES 5 HERBICIDES (ATRAZINE,CYANAZINE,MODOWN,PROPAZINE,AND IGRAN). POOR SEED VIGOR IS IMPROVED BY SOAKING PM SEEDS IN 5% SODIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTN FOR 2 MIN PRIOR TO GERMINATN. MEDIUM TO LARGE SEEDS & HIGH DENSITY SEEDS IMPROVE BOTH FIELD EMERGENCY & YIELD. FURTHER,KSU HAS SHOWN THAT GREATER GRAIN YIELDS RESULT FORM HIGH LEAF TEMPERATURES. PM WAS FOUND TO BE HIGH IN NUTRIENTS (HIGHER IN SODIUM & IRON THAN WHEAT) & HIGH IN STARCH (60-65). THE HIGH LLIPID CONTENT OF PM CAUSES FRESHLY GROUND PM TO BECOME RANCID QUICKLY. FURTHER,FIELD FUNGI IDENTIFIED AS ATTACKING PM GRAINS WERE THE GENERA,ALTERNARIA,FUSARIUM,CLACLOSPORIUM,CURVULARIA,HELMINTHOSPORIUM,PENC ILLUM ,PHOMA,AND RIZOPUS (FROM MOST TO LEAST COMMONLY FOUND). OTHER COLLECTED RESEARCH INDICATES THAT: 1)IRRADIATN MAY BE USED TO INCREASE PM SHELF LIFE & PRODUCE USEFUL MUTATNS, 2)PM HYBRIDS RESISTANT TO GREENBUG APHID ATTACKS,DROUGHT RESISTANCE,AND CHARCOAL ROT WILL SOON BE DEVEL & AVAILABLE FOR CULTIVATN, 3)HIGHER YIELDING HYBRIDS ARE BEING DEVEL,AND 4)OVERNIGHT SOAKING PRODUCES HIGH GERMINATION RATES WHILE COLD GREATLY REDUCES GERMINATION.