Notification of crop varieties and registration of germplasm: Pearl millet variety ‘Dhanashakti’

Despite impressive records of economic growth and agricultural production in India, about 80% of the pregnant women, 52% of the non-pregnant women, and 74% of the children in 6-35 months age group suffer from iron deficiency. About 52% of the children below 5 years are zinc deficient. Crop biofortification is increasingly being recognized as a cost-effective and sustainable approach to address this problem. Pearl millet, in general, has higher iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) contents than other major cereals such as wheat, rice, maize and sorghum. Earlier studies have shown large variability for Fe and Zn contents in the breeding lines, hybrid parents, hybrids, improved populations and germplasm; and also identified ICTP 8203, a released open-pollinated variety (OPV) under cultivation, having the highest level of Fe content