ICRISAT unveils world’s first speed breeding protocol for finger millet
Finger millet, ranked third among millets after sorghum and pearl millet, has garnered increased attention since India declared 2018 as the National Year of Millets.
Sangareddy: In a major breakthrough for crop science, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has developed the world’s first speed breeding protocol for finger millet. The innovation, dubbed “Rapid-Ragi”, significantly shortens the crop’s growth cycle, enabling quicker and more efficient breeding.
With this new method, researchers can now cultivate four to five generations of finger millet per year, compared to just one or two under traditional field conditions. The development is expected to transform finger millet research and cultivation, particularly in Asia and Africa, where the grain is both a dietary staple and an important component in school feeding and nutrition programmes.
ICRISAT Director General Dr Himanshu Pathak said this was the third open-access speed breeding protocol released by the institute, following similar efforts for chickpea and pigeonpea.
“It’s a significant milestone for the global scientific community, helping save time, reduce costs, and improve efficiency in breeding high-yielding, climate-resilient, and nutritious crops,” he noted.
Finger millet, ranked third among millets after sorghum and pearl millet, has garnered increased attention since India declared 2018 as the National Year of Millets and the United Nations celebrated the International Year of Millets in 2023.
The Rapid-Ragi protocol reduces the growth duration of finger millet from the conventional 100-135 days to just 68-85 days, with the possibility of a further one-week reduction if harvested at physiological maturity. The accelerated timeline is achieved through faster germination, shortened vegetative and flowering phases, and rapid maturation, enabled by optimised lighting, temperature and humidity control, as well as agronomic practices such as appropriate planting density, efficient irrigation, and targeted nutrient management.
The protocol has been under development for four years. Dr Sean Mayes, Global Research Program Director (Accelerated Crop Improvement) at ICRISAT, said the focus was not only on accelerating crop cycles but also on ensuring the method remained resource-efficient and adaptable for researchers in varied environments.
Unlike chickpea and pigeonpea protocols that required specific light spectrum management across different growth stages, finger millet’s simpler light requirements have made the Rapid-Ragi approach more accessible and cost-effective. Researchers achieved success using natural sunlight with short bursts of artificial lighting on cloudy days.
