Nearly a decade-and-a-half after it was first released for cultivation, a popularpearl millethybrid has made a comeback in an improved avatar inGujarat.
Christened Maru Sona or desert gold, the new version is equipped with the genes to fend off devastating downy mildew (DM) disease. It has been released for cultivation in Gujarat.
Maru Sona is Gujarats first hybrid cultivar that is developed through genomics-assisted breeding.
The original hybrid GHB 538 was first released for cultivation in 2006-07 during rainy, post-rainy and summer seasons in dry regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana. It quickly became popular.