Abstract
Yemen differs considerably from many other countries in its extreme variation in elevation. A set of 229 pearl millet germplasm accessions collected from diverse elevations of Yemen was characterized for 12 morpho-agronomic characteristics at ICRISAT, Patancheru, India. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences (P < 0.001) among elevational zones for flowering, plant height and seed weight when evaluated in the post-rainy season and for panicle length and thickness when evaluated in the rainy season. The differential performance of accessions for flowering and plant height during the rainy and post-rainy seasons at ICRISAT, Patancheru reflected the photoperiod and temperature sensitivity of the accessions. Shannon-Weaver diversity indices indicated high diversity from low elevations for flowering and plant height. The results of the present study imply that environmental factors such as elevation, temperature and rainfall are the important determinants of variation patterns of pearl millet in Yemen and pearl millet germplasm from high elevations of Yemen is a good source for early maturity, cold tolerance, short plant height and large seeds.
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Reddy, N., Rao, K. & Ahmed, I. Geographical patterns of diversity in pearl millet germplasm from Yemen. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 51, 513–517 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:GRES.0000024151.00362.dc
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:GRES.0000024151.00362.dc