MARKER BASED HETEROTIC POOLING OF DIVERSE ASIAN AND AFRICAN PEARL MILLET [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] POPULATIONS

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Date
2019
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PROFESSOR JAYASHANKAR TELANGANA STATE AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
Abstract
A set of 45 diverse Asian and African populations of pearl millet were investigated for molecular and morphological genetic diversity. Multivariate analysis based on multi-location evaluation for grain yield and its component traits grouped these populations into five clusters. Most populations of Asian origin grouped into common cluster and separated from rest of the populations of African origin indicating the presence of correspondence between clustering pattern and geographical origin. Molecular diversity assessed using 29 SSRs detected 435 alleles (average of 15 alleles per locus) and grouped 45 pearl millet populations into seven different clusters. Clustering pattern, population structure analysis and principal coordinate analysis revealed intermixing of African and Asian origin populations, whereas most of all the African origin and Asian bred populations were found grouped into common clusters. The correlation between genetic distance estimated through morphological traits and through SSRs was non-significant (r = -0.13). Fourteen parental populations representing seven marker based clusters were used to develop 91 population hybrids (in diallel fashion). These population hybrids were evaluated at three locations for grain yield and its component traits. The correlation between genetic distance (GD) between parental lines and heterosis for grain yield was negative and significant (r = -0.37, p < 0.001) indicating that prediction of hybrid performance based on GD may not be feasible. However, lesser negative correlation was found at lower GD (0.60-0.68) than in comparison of hybrids developed using parental populations with higher GD (0.78-0.86). Based on hybrids performance, heterosis and combining ability among marker group based crosses, two heterotic pools (PMPHP-1 and PMPHP-2) were identified having significant levels of heterosis (PMpH = 20% and PBpH = 6.8%). Populations of PMPHP-1 had linkages with African origin and Asian origin populations, whereas PMPHP-2 composed of exclusively African origin and Asian bred populations. Following the second approach of heterotic pool formation which is based on grain yield based combining ability patterns, 14 parental populations were grouped into three heterotic pools (PMPHP-A, PMPHP-B and PMPHP-C). Fertility restoration/maintainer frequency of 45 populations on three diverse CMS systems (A1, A4 and A5 cytoplasm) evaluated in two contrasting seasons (summer and rainy) revealed that fertility restoration frequency (%) was highest for A1 CMS (86%) followed by A4 CMS (37%) and least for A5 CMS (7%). Based on fertility restoration/maintainer frequency, heterotic pool PMPHP-1 populations with high grain yield and bold seeds were proposed to be utilized in maintainer lines (B-lines) and PMPHP-2 having populations with high fertility restoration ability were identified for restorer lines (R-lines) development programs, which can further be utilized to diversify the existing maintainers and restorer parents of different CMS systems.
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D10,409
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