Question

Which of the following principle male sterile line introduced for hybrid pearl millet production in India?

• A. Tift 23A
• B. BJ – 104
• C. MHB – 118
• D. CO – 2

Hint:

This CMS line originated from Tifton, Georgia and enabled India's first pearl millet hybrid.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Tift 23A is a cytoplasmic-genetic male sterile (CMS) line that was brought into India from Tifton, Georgia in the USA, and it became the foundational female parent used to develop India's very first commercial pearl millet hybrid, HB-1, in the early 1960s.
Because it could not self-pollinate, this male sterility trait made it practical to produce hybrid seed on a large, economical scale, which effectively kickstarted India's pearl millet hybrid breeding programme.
BJ-104, MHB-118 and CO-2 are themselves later hybrid or variety releases rather than the original male-sterile source line, so Tift 23A is the correct answer.