In a groundbreaking advancement for millet cultivation, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has introduced the world’s first speed breeding protocol for finger millet—an innovation set to dramatically shorten the crop’s growing cycle and accelerate breeding efforts globally.
Named “Rapid-Ragi,” the new protocol allows for four to five generations of finger millet per year, a significant leap from the traditional one to two generations achievable under conventional field conditions. This development holds vast promise for regions like Asia and Africa, where finger millet is a staple grain with growing relevance in nutrition and school feeding programs.
“This is our third open-access speed breeding protocol, following those developed for chickpea and pigeonpea,” said Dr Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT. “It marks a major step forward in making high-yielding, climate-resilient, and nutrient-dense crops more accessible and affordable for breeders worldwide.”
Finger millet, the third most important millet after sorghum and pearl millet, has experienced renewed global attention since India’s National Year of Millets (2018) and the United Nations’ International Year of Millets (2023). Despite its nutritional benefits and resilience, breeding new varieties has remained slow and resource-heavy—until now.
“Speed breeding tools like Rapid-Ragi are game-changers, especially for neglected and underutilized crops,” said Dr Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General – Research and Innovation at ICRISAT. “They help overcome long breeding cycles that have limited research attention and agricultural investment.”
The Rapid-Ragi protocol reduces the typical growth cycle of finger millet from 100–135 days to just 68–85 days, with a possible further reduction of one week when harvested at physiological maturity. This acceleration is achieved through:
- Optimized light, temperature, and humidity control
- Improved planting density
- Efficient irrigation and nutrient management
Importantly, unlike chickpea and pigeonpea protocols that required complex manipulation of light wavelengths, finger millet proved less photoperiod-sensitive. This makes the protocol simpler and more cost-effective, requiring only natural light supplemented with short bursts of artificial lighting on cloudy days.
“We’ve spent four years refining this protocol to ensure it’s not only fast but also practical and resource-efficient for breeding programs in diverse environments,” said Dr Sean Mayes, Global Research Program Director for Accelerated Crop Improvement at ICRISAT.
Leading the effort was Dr Sobhan Sajja, Senior Scientist, Crop Improvement Operations, who highlighted the broader implications: “This is the first-ever speed breeding protocol for small millets. We’re now adapting it for other varieties like foxtail, proso, barnyard, little, and kodo millet—and the early results are very promising.”
The Rapid-Ragi protocol is now available as open-access, reinforcing ICRISAT’s commitment to global food security by enabling researchers and breeders to accelerate the development of resilient, nutritious crops for the future.
