1. Pearl millet phenology assessment: An integration of field, a review, and in silico approach.
- Author
-
Carcedo, Ana, Maddonni, Gustavo, Ramalingam, Ajay Prasanth, Parray, Sabreena A., Tugoo, Midhat Z., Pereira, Thatiane Alves, Perumal, Ramasamy, Prasad, P. V. Vara, and Ciampitti, Ignacio
- Subjects
- *
PLANT phenology , *FLOWERING time , *AGRICULTURAL climatology , *FLOWERING of plants , *DRY farming , *PEARL millet - Abstract
Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.] is an essential subsistence cereal for food security in dryland farming systems of the semiarid tropics (e.g., in sub‐Saharan Africa) and has improved tolerance to drought, heat, and salinity stress compared to other domesticated cereals. Assessing the variation on phenology is critical toward devising effective adaptative management strategies for crop adaptation to current and future climate change. In this context, pearl millet presents a vast genetic diversity, exhibiting sensitivity to temperature and photoperiod. Hence, this study aims to describe the genotypic variability in the phenological responses of pearl millet to temperature and photoperiod, particularly affecting leaf number with implications on the overall total time to flowering. The dataset encompassed 21 publications from seven countries, with experiments conducted from 1965 to 2023, including three field studies from the United States. Broad variability has been reported for phyllochron values ranging from 45 to 111°Cd leaf−1, with a mean value of 67°Cd leaf−1. Thermal time to panicle initiation ranged from 340 to 594°C, but no response to photoperiod duration was found due to the nature of dataset. Maximum number of leaves per shoot ranged from 11 to 25, showing response (1.55–2.15 leaf h−1) to photoperiod due to variations in thermal time to flowering (from 875 to 1346°Cd). Thermal time to flowering increased ca. 323°Cd h−1 under day durations longer than 13.3 h, below which basic vegetative phase duration was close to 1033°Cd. Based on the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator simulations, different combinations of the above responses (in silico cultivars) generated a great range of times to flowering (44–120 days) for locations in Senegal, Brazil, India, and United States. The findings of this study can help breeders to explore the phenological genetic variability of pearl millet and provide inputs for crop growth models to evaluate future in silico scenarios. Core Ideas: Pearl millet is essential to food security in dryland systems and to mitigate climate change.Variation in crop phenology could assist in designing effective climate‐adaptative strategies.Pearl millet phenology's dataset includes historical data with 21 papers from seven countries.There was large genetic variability in total number of leaves (11‐25 leaves shoot−1), phyllochron values (45–111°Cd leaf−1), photoperiod sensitivity (1.55–2.15 leaves h−1) and thermal time to flowering (875–1346°Cd).In silico cultivars generated a great range of simulated flowering times (44–120 days) at varied locations in Senegal, Brazil, India, and United States. Plain Language Summary: Pearl millet is an important crop in dry regions like sub‐Saharan Africa and has traits that make it more resilient to harsh environmental conditions compared to other crops. Scientists wanted to understand how pearl millet's growth is affected by factors like temperature and daylight to help farmers better manage the crop in changing climates. The study found that pearl millet has a large genetic diversity, and its growth is influenced by temperature and daylight. Different varieties of pearl millet reacted differently to these factors, affecting when the plant would flower, how many leaves develop, and how fast these leaves appear. This research can help plant breeders to develop new varieties of pearl millet that are better suited to different environments and also to test crop models to develop scenarios for predicting pearl millet performance under future climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF