Improving production potential of sorghum and finger millets through

genetic improvement and participatory farmer research for development

Biruma M., Dramadri I., Liri C., Mayada M. Beshir, Bombom A. and Okori P.

First Bio-Innovate Regional Scientific ConferenceUnited Nations Conference Centre (UNCC-ECA)Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 25-27 February 2013

Why sorghum & finger millet

• Widely cultivated throughout the East African region

• Well adapted for dry and semi-arid tropical regions

• Earmarked as critical crop investment vehicles that can help deliver the millennium development goals

• Major drawback to increased sorghum and millet production

• Low competitiveness of both crops in terms of yield and market penetration due to limited value added products

Biotic and abiotic stresses further compromises the yield

• Exploiting genetic diversity through crop genetics provides one of the most effective ways to address both challenges

• The goal of our work is to improve yield performance of both crops by:

1. Developing sorghum genotypes with multiple resistance (focus foliar diseases [Anthracnose & TLB], drought and striga

2. Development of niche specific sorghum varieties

3. Utilise wild finger millet relatives to improve cultivated finger millet

• Both field and green house experiments under controlled environments were used

Reaction of sorghum genotypes to Striga, foliar diseases and drought

Genotype

Striga

(/m²)

Head wt (g)

100gr. wt (g)

Height (cm)

DTF (Days)

GLA (%)

Vigour (1-5)

Ant. (1-5)

TLB (1-5)

120 0 84.9 2.42 76.7 69 100 3.0 2.5 3.5

121 0 41.3 2.83 79.6 74 100 2.6 1.0 2.2

MUK31 10 105.1 2.70 134.9 59.7 94.6 2.0 1.0 1.1

MUK13 19 89.3 2.71 134.3 58.3 98.9 2.6 1.1 1.2

ANT47 15 97.7 2.46 65.2 63.4 96.8 3.4 1.9 1.0

BAS 42 82.9 3.26 80.5 69 92 1.5 3.0 3.4

MUK154 43 101.4 1.94 118.7 59.4 81.9 1.9 3.0 1.9

ENT26 44 68.3 2.54 137.4 66.9 92.7 2.9 2.2 2.6

E78 48 81.2 2.92 153.8 64.6 90.0 2.2 3.5 2.6

MUK27 49 108.7 2.91 197.1 62.6 79.8 2.7 1.1 2.0

ANT33 53 65.0 1.70 183.5 70.6 87.4 2.0 1.4 2.0

ENT173 54 58.9 2.89 137.8 58.2 79.0 2.4 3.4 3.0

• To promote variety adoption a participatory variety selection is being used

Development of niche specific sorghum varieties

• Nutrient analysis of promising lines

• Trials on poultry and piggery feed formulations

Overview of finger millet work: See poster for details

• Focus drought, tillering ability, blast resistance and grain yield improvement

• Crosses between the cultivated and wild relative (E. africana & E. kigeziensis)

• Crosses between cultivated finger millet and wild relatives(allotetraploids) of diverse origins are possible producing superior fertile hybrids.

• Potential for tillering, earliness, drought and high grain yield improvement

• Reaction of F2 plants to drought stress