Division of Seed Science and Technology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012
Plant morphological characters have been the universally undisputed descriptors for genotype characterization. But these descriptors, besides being limited in number, makes the process time consuming and also less reliable, owing to their interaction with the environment in which the variety is grown. In this regard, the potential of biochemical descriptors like seed esterases, merits investigation. In the present study, 47 pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] genotypes comprising 14 hybrids and their parental lines were used to examine the suitability of seed esterases for characterization of pearl millet genotypes. Among the 47 genotypes studied, 36 could be differentiated from each other and 11 were grouped into four categories at 2.22 x 10-3 probability of identical match by chance. Esterases were also found suitable for testing hybrid purity. The possibility of this descriptor for testing Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) of new pearl millet genotypes has been discussed.
Pearl millet, characterization, esterases, genetic purity, DUS testing
