Availability of allele specific molecular markers for genes controlling photoperiod sensitivity of flowering time in pearl millet and sorghum.

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) are the major food crops and sources of income in semi-arid West and Central Africa (WCA). High population and limited land area, climatic variation, drought, low soil fertility and biotic stresses constrain agricultural production. It is thus imperative that new technologies that increase productivity under low-input conditions become available.

The project includes Sahelian (rainfall 400-600 mm/a) and Sudanian (600-800 mm/a) zones for pearl millet, and the Sudanian and northern Guinean (800-1100 mm/a) zones for sorghum. Photoperiodic sensitivity is the key adaptation trait of local landraces because it assures flowering at the end of the rainy season, independent of the date of planting (Vaksman et al. 1996). Our aim is to develop allele specific molecular markers for the genes controlling photoperiod sensitivity in sorghum and pearl millet. In both cereals, breeders lack efficient methods to select for appropriate photoperiod response. Employment of allele-specific markers would greatly enhance selection efficiency for this major adaptation trait in climatically variable environments of WCA. Specific Objectives are:

1. Design primers for genes related to photoperiod-sensitive flowering in pearl millet and sorghum, based on sequences of corresponding genes in rice and barley.
2. Characterize diverse materials of different maturity groups of sorghum and pearl millet for their precise photoperiodic reaction (phenotyping).
3. Screen the most contrasting pearl millet and sorghum genotypes for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and Insertions/Deletions (INDELs) in the genes controlling photoperiodic sensitivity.
4. Develop selective markers for photoperiodic sensitivity alleles for sorghum and pearl millet, using the above results.