Evaluating exotic foxtail millet accessions for growth, vigor, and yield adaptation under Faisalabad climate

Abstract

Millets are becoming popular due to special features of high nutrition, low inputs, and climate resiliency. While major crops like wheat, rice & maize are exhaustive, resource-loving, and susceptible. There is a need for crop diversification & potential millets to be adapted for sustainability. Faisalabad is the grain belt of Punjab, Pakistan, but only one millet crop, pearl millet, is being cultivated for grain purposes. An alternate crop, foxtail millet study was designed, and 200 exotic accessions of different origins were acquired from the USDA. Germination behavior at optimal controlled temperatures (18 °C, 25°C, 32°C, and 39 °C) was tested, best germination was observed at 32 °C, and 135 out of 200 accessions germinated at ≥80%. These accessions were initially screened for germination strength (G%, G50, MGT, U, GI, Z, and CVG), seedling vigor (SL, RL, SFW, SDW), and preliminary yield tests in the greenhouse, then evaluated under three different field locations of varied soil environments. Principle component analysis (PCA) was performed, and 14 clusters of accessions were sorted out using hierarchical clustering. The high-yielding accessions were selected from each cluster and sown at three different locations/soil environments in the Faisalabad, i.e., 1- ARA, UAF (fertile, low irrigated), 2= DFP, UAF (salt-affected soil), 3= JKA, CJF (fertile, well-irrigated). Results were statistically analyzed & graphically represented using project R for statistical computing. Accessions A73-IN and A101-IN produced the highest grain yield of 3504 kg ha-1 and 2667 kg ha-1 respectively, and a biomass accumulation of 8 t ha-1 at the location JKA, CJF. Yield-related results under low irrigation & saline soil were also significant, however, overall, 69% of yield was reduced in the saline and 67% in low irrigated fields. It was concluded that accessions of Indian origin may be adapted under Faisalabad climate and an additional inquiry into abiotic stresses is required to discover suitable genotypes