Genetic Variability for Yield and Yield Attributing Characters in Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.)

The present investigation was carried out to assess the genetic variability, heritability and mean performance for yield and yield attributing characters in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.). The experiment was conducted during Kharif 2025 at the Faculty of Agriculture, Tantia University, in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. A total of thirty genotypes were evaluated for days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, plant height, panicle length, panicle width, test weight (1000-grain weight), dry fodder yield, harvest index, number of tillers and grain yield per plant.Analysis of mean performance revealed considerable variation among genotypes for all the characters studied. Grain yield per plant ranged from 27.6 g to 53.7 g, with a grand mean of 40.9 g, indicating wide variability. Genotypes such as MH-1831, RHB-223 and XMT-1497 recorded higher grain yield per plant.Genetic variability analysis indicated that phenotypic coefficient of variation was higher than genotypic coefficient of variation for all traits, suggesting the influence of environmental factors. High GCV and PCV were observed for panicle width, test weight, number of tillers and grain yield per plant, indicating the presence of substantial genetic variability. High heritability estimates (>90%) were recorded for panicle width, test weight, plant height and number of tillers, suggesting that these traits are largely governed by additive gene action. Further, high genetic advance as percent of mean (GAM) was observed for test weight (65.12%), panicle width (57.98%) and grain yield per plant (42.17%), indicating the effectiveness of selection for these characters. The study concluded that panicle width, test weight and grain yield per plant are important traits for selection and can be effectively utilized for yield improvement in pearl millet breeding programmes.