Genetic Enhancement of Rabi Sorghum

Genetic Enhancement of Rabi Sorghum – Adapting the Indian Durras presents both the historical background and the recent research done in breeding this important world crop for more global production. Its chapters cover topics in origin and taxonomy, morphology and breeding behavior, genetics, and cytogenetics, also looking at production, nutrition, and alternate uses. The durra race is Ethiopian in origin and its introgression with wild forms permitted adaptation to drier conditions. These have migrated and adapted to the currently known crop that is cultivated in the winter season and commonly called rabi sorghums. Grown under receding soil moisture conditions, rabi sorghums have tolerance to abiotic stresses apart from biotic stresses, unlike the rainy sorghums that are grown widely in the world. However, they must be more resilient to rapid changes in climate, for example. The variability from winter sorghums is being introgressed into rainy sorghums. With the yield plateaus reached and sorghum gaining importance as a food crop, this book will be of importance to those studying durras and their breeding.

Dr. Patil joined as the Director, Directorate of Sorghum Research, Hyderabad in 2010. He is also instrumental in creating Centre of Excellence (DAC, Ministry of Agriculture, GOI) which is a state of the art facility for providing advanced training in the field of value added food products. Apart from functioning as Director, he is actively engaged in research with field evaluation of thousands of sorghum germplasm accessions for useful traits.Dr.J.V. Patil has developed 19 varieties of safflower, chickpea, green gram, rajma bean, pigeon pea and sorghum. He has executed several research projects including international collaborative ones such as DFID, ICRISAT-IFAD, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - Hope Project and Mc Knight Foundation, USA funded projects. Apart from varietal development he also developed and popularized several crop production technologies such as sowing methods, seed treatment, foliar nutrient application and IPM in chickpea and in situ moisture conservation, soil type-based cultivars, protective irrigation, nutrient supply and intercultural time schedule in sorghum. He is receipient of many reputed awards and recognitions such as ICRISAT’s Doreen Mashler Award 2002, CGIAR’s King Baudouin Chickpea team Award 2002, Baliraja Late Annasaheb Shinde Smruti Krishi Sanshodhan Gaurav Purskar 2004, Vasantrao Naik krishi Puraskar 2005 and Maharashtra State Government’s Agricultural literature Award 2010He has to his credit 107 peer reviewed foreign and national journal papers, 16 books and 53 other technical publications. He delivered 27 Radio Talks and 11 TV shows for the benefit of farmers cultivating sorghum and pulses.