PEARL MILLET IMPROVEMENT

BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH IN THIS PROJECT AUGMENTS RESEARCH PROGRAMS OF ICRISAT (INTERNATIONAL CROP RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR SEMI-ARID TROPICS-INDIA) AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES" REGIONAL AND NATIONAL PROGRAMS. RESULTS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES THROUGH INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES AND LOCAL AND COUNTRY PROGRAMS. SPECIFIC RESEARCH STUDIES TO BE CONDUCTED INCLUDE: 1.DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-YIELDING,WIDELY ADAPTED,NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC GRAIN VARIETIES OF PEARL MILLET & INVESTIGATION OF HYBRID & INBRED SPECIES FOR USE INLDC"S; 2.ANALYSIS OF PLANT-BREEDING & PRODUCTION VARIABLES SUCH AS GENETIC SEED VARIETIES,SEEDLING VIGOR,STRESS PHYSIOLOGY & AGRONOMY,WATER USE,DROUGHT RESISTANCE,HERBICIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY; 3.DETERMINATION OF NUTRITIONAL QUALITY & DIGESTIBILITY THROUGH CARBOHYDRATE & PROTEIN ANALYSIS OF GERMPLASMS & BREEDING MATERIALS & ANIMAL FEEDING TRIALS; 4.DETERMINATION OF STORAGE,OF STABILITY OF MILLET GRAIN & MEALS,OF GRAIN STORAGE LOSSES & OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO RANCIDITY IN MILLET MEAL; 5.METHODS OF IMPROVING NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF MILLET FOOD PRODUCTS & GERMPLASN & OF BREEDING,SELECTION & PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES,PROCESSING KNOWLEDGE & OTHER INFORMATION. BREEDING MATERIALS & INFORMATION WILL BE EXCHANGED WITH ICRISAT & OTHER RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS. PROJECT WILL ALSO TRAIN GRADUATE STUDENTS FROM MANY COUNTRIES IN THE ABOVE RESEARCH AREAS UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE KSU-ARS-USDA RESEARCH TEAM. PROJECT RELATES TO ON-GOING WORK WITH ICRISAT INVOLVING EXCHANGE OF GERMPLASN,RESEARCH RESULTS,IDEAS,JOINT RESEARCH & CONDUCT OF INTERNATIONAL PEARL MILLET TRIALS,TO COORDINATE WITH THE AFRICAN BUREAU"S REGIONAL PROJECT ON SEMIARID FOOD GRAINS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT & TO PEARL MILLET STUDIES AT UNIVERSITIES OF NEBRASKA & ARIZONA,TEXAS A & M & GEORGIA"S COASTAL PLAIN EXPERIMENTAL STATION. SINCE PEARL MILLET IS THE WORLD"S 5TH MOST IMPORTANT FOOD GRAIN,THIS PROJECT"S PRODUCTS WILL BE IMMEDIATELY USEFUL TO FARMERS & CONSUMERS IN MANY LDC"S.