Tackling abiotic production constraints in

pearl millet and sorghum-based agricultural systems of the

West African Sahel

Final Project MeetingNiamey, 23-55 March 2014

Introduction, Objectives, Program, Overview of Activities

Bettina HaussmannUniversity of Hohenheim

Stuttgart, Germany

Tom HashICRISAT Sahelian Center

Niamey, Niger

Introduction of partners & participants• Institut d'Economie Rurale (IER), Mali: Sorghum,

Pearl Millet

• Institut National de l’Environnement et Recherche Agricole (INERA), Burkina Faso: Pearl Millet

• Institut National de Recherches Agronomiques du Niger (INRAN), Niger: Sorghum

• Institut Sénégalais de Recherche Agricole (ISRA), Sénégal: Sorghum, Pearl Millet

• University of Kassel (UKW), Witzenhausen, Germany: Plant nutrition

• University of Hohenheim (UH), Stuttgart, Germany: Molecular Markers, Soil Science

• ICRISAT-Niger, -Mali, and -India: Sorghum, Pearl Millet, molecular markers, physiology

• Farmer Organizations in the four countries

CNRA- Bambey

ConclusionHeiko K. Parzies

1959 - 2011

Objectives of this workshop

• Critically Review Y1-Y3 + NCE

• Learn! • Plan publications

& final report to assure that all promised project outputs are achieved

Proposed Workshop Program

Suggestions re workshop program?

• Progress of activities by project objectives– Pearl millet field trials by country– Sorghum field trials by country– Low-P adaptation mechanisms– Interaction of drought with P deficiency– Genetics of low-P adaptation– Additional management options for low-P

conditions– On-farm testing highlights

• Outcomes & perspectives– Products – populations, data, facilities, &

improved capacity– Planning of publications & Final Report– Project evaluation

Aims of this project

Overall Goal: Enhance pearl millet & sorghum productivity under rainfed conditions in the West African Sahel

By Integrating

- cereal breeding research,

- crop physiology,

- plant nutrition, and

- agronomic research

Understand Effects and Interactions of low soil P and recurrent drought spells

Develop and test options to overcome these constraints in farmer’s fields

Expected Outputs1. Genetic Variation among West African pearl millet and

sorghum varieties characterized, major mechanisms for adaptation to low-P soils understood, and promising germplasm identified

2. Knowledge generated about interaction between P deficiency and water stress in pearl millet and sorghum and potential indirect screening methods assessed

3. Initial molecular markers for tolerance to low soil P identified in pearl millet and sorghum

4. New management options tested that enhance cereal performance under soil P deficiency and water stress

5. New cereal cultivars and crop management options validated through farmer experimentation in target environment conditions

Activities - Output 1: Genetic variation and mechanisms of adaptation to low-P

• Act. 1.1. Determine quantitative-genetic parameters of Sahelian pearl millet and sorghum landraces and breeding materials for low-P tolerance under field conditions

• Act. 1.2: Characterize contrasting materials for component traits of low-P tolerance (pot trials and Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizza (VAM) studies)

• Act. 1.3 Hands-on training of partners on the phenotyping of tolerance to low-P conditions

• Act. 1.4. Evaluation of recurrent selection progress in promising pearl millet populations

Activities - Output 2: Interaction between low-P & water stress

• Act. 2.1 Establish the lysimeter screening facility at ICRISAT-Niger

• Act. 2.2. Establish a lysimeter-based phenotyping methodology

• Act. 2.3. Compare transpiration efficiency in pearl millet and sorghum germplasm under various conditions of P fertilization

• Act. 2.4. Assess water uptake patterns under various conditions of P fertility

Activities - Output 3: Molecular markers for low-P tolerance

• Act. 3.1. Pearl millet association study

• Act. 3.2. Sorghum association study

Activities - Output 4: New management options• Act. 4.1 Develop and test new seed

coating techniques to enhance early seedling establishment

• Act. 4.2. Develop and test methodologies for artificial mycorrhizza infestation

• Act. 4.3. Develop a procedure for on-farm processing of different WA rock phosphates

• Act. 4.4. Test the effects of above technologies on productivity increase under low-P and water stress

Activities - Output 5: On-farm validation

• Act. 5.1. Evaluate in a farmer-participatory manner genotype × management inter-actions to identify most responsive treat-ment combinations that are adoptable and appreciated by farmers

Dissemination of results

• Project web page• Publications, posters, flyers, rural radio• Demonstration trials / on-farm experimentation• Performance & marker data produced will enter data base

Originally proposed activity time line

ICRISAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium

Fofo!Merci!Shukra!Thank you!Danke schön!

Dryland Cereals

Data sharing and intellectual property

• Quote MoU: "The partners agree to share

with ICRISAT all data generated as part of the

project activities. The information will be

made available by ICRISAT to all partners

and, ultimately, to the global community as

per BMZ/GTZ requirements."

Publication rules

• Quote MoU: "All publication of results will be made

only after approval by all parties concerned and with

appropriate recognition of each one's contributions.

Drafts of all publications will be circulated prior to

submission."

• All publications must acknowledge the donor, using

the following phrase: “Funded by GIZ on behalf of

the Government of the Federal Republic of

Germany”.

• Please assure documentation of all PR activities!!!

RationaleLow soil P and unpredictable drought stress are major

overlapping crop production constraints in the Sahel

Foundation for effective and sustained development

of new farmer-preferred cultivars and crop management

techniques, beyond fertilizer micro-dosing

Increased cereal productivity and food security in the unfavourable and risky Sahelian belt of West Africa

Understanding the relative importance of these

abiotic stresses and their interaction as well as

mechanisms of adaptation