Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is an important cereal in Asia and Africa, grown on about 26 million hectares, including 9.3 million hectares in India where Rajasthan leads in area and production. Despite its adaptation to harsh environments, productivity in hyper-arid regions remains low due to drought, poor soil fertility, and the emerging threat of blast disease (Magnaporthe grisea). Hybrid breeding using cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines provides opportunities to enhance yields, but systematic evaluation of combining ability, heterosis, and stability is essential for sustainable improvement. The present study, conducted during Kharif 2022 at ARS, Bikaner, involved eight CMS lines and nine restorers crossed in a line × tester design to develop 72 F₁ hybrids. These, along with three checks (BHB-1202, BHB-1602, and HHB-299), were evaluated under three staggered sowing environments (early, timely, and late), each exposing the crop to moisture stress at critical growth stages. Trials were laid out in RBD with three replications, and heterosis was estimated against the best check, BHB-1602. Results revealed wide variability in standard heterosis (–75% to +77%) with strong environmental influence. While several hybrids performed well in individual environments, only a few maintained superiority across sowing dates. The highest heterosis for grain yield per plant was 22.38% (ICMA 04999 × BIB 51), with desirable negative heterosis for earliness (–8.64% for days to 50% flowering, –10.54% for maturity). Significant heterotic effects were also observed for plant height (22.61%), ear head weight (28.54%), ear head length (41.86%), ear head diameter (38.36%), straw yield (41.9%), and test weight (26.83%). Six hybrids—ICMA 13666 × BIB 9, ICMA 98222 × BIB 12, ICMA 04999 × BIB 61, ICMA 13666 × BIB 95, ICMA 04999 × BIB 122, and ICMA 88004 × BIB 122—consistently expressed significant positive heterosis for grain yield across environments. These results confirm the potential of heterosis breeding in pearl millet, with identified hybrids showing promise for yield stability and further multi-location testing.

Heterosis breeding, pearl millet, multi-location testing

The crosses viz., ICMA 13666 x BIB 9, ICMA 98222 x BIB 12, ICMA 04999 x BIB 61, ICMA 13666 x BIB 95, ICMA 04999 x BIB 122 and ICMA 88004 x BIB 122 showed high and significant standard heterosis for grain yield and its attributing characters over the environments. These crosses were considered promising for their use in yield improvement because of having high heterotic effect for yield as well as some other component characters. The highest and desirable standard heterosis was recorded for the maximum values of standard heterosis were 22.38 (ICMA 04999 X BIB 51) for grain yield per plant and related traits were -8.64 (ICMA 98222 X BIB 60) for days to 50% flowering, -10.54 (ICMA 88004 X BIB 60) for days to maturity, 22.61 (ICMA 07222 X BIB 95) for plant height, 1.21 (ICMA 15222 X BIB 60) for total tillers per plant, 2.25 (ICMA 98222 X BIB 12) for effective tillers per plant, 10.69 (ICMA 07222 X BIB 55) for flag leaf area, 1.35 (ICMA 98222X BIB 12) for number of ear head per plot, 28.54 (ICMA 04999 X BIB 122) for ear head weight per plot, 41.86 (ICMA 13666 X BIB 19) for ear head length, 38.36 (ICMA 07222 X BIB 55) for ear head diameter, 22.27 (ICMA 04999 X BIB 61) for grain yield per plot, 41.9 (ICMA 98222 X BIB 122) for dry stover yield per plant, 26.83 (ICMA 13666 X BIB 60) for test weight and 6.99 (ICMA 04999 X BIB 122) for harvest index. This suggested potentiality of heterosis breeding in pearl millet.

Mukesh Kumar Poonia, P. C. Gupta, Ravinder Kumar, Devilal Jat and Kapil Bisnoi (2025). Assessment of Potential Standard Heterosis for Yield Components using by Line X Tester in Pearl Millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] Hybrids. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 17(1): 146-163.