Journal of Experimental Agriculture International

Rainfed agriculture in India is increasingly affected by erratic rainfall, shortened growing seasons and recurring moisture stress associated with climate variability. Identification of short-duration, stress-adapted crop genotypes is therefore important for improving production stability in vulnerable agro-ecologies. The present study evaluated sixteen proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) genotypes, including advanced breeding lines and standard checks, under rainfed conditions during Kharif 2025 at Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, in the Bastar Plateau agro-ecological region. The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Block Design with three replications to assess variation in phenological, morphological and yield-related traits. Clear genotypic differences were observed for flowering time, maturity duration, plant height, tillering ability, panicle length, grain yield and fodder yield, indicating useful variability for adaptation and crop improvement. Days to 50% flowering ranged from 37 to 43 days, while maturity duration varied from 70 to 79 days. SHPM-1 was the earliest flowering and earliest maturing genotype, requiring 37 and 70 days, respectively, and recorded the highest grain yield (1375.9 kg ha⁻¹) and fodder yield (4711.1 kg ha⁻¹). SHPM-2 and RPCAU-PRM-5 also showed favourable combinations of relatively early maturity and above-average productivity. The findings indicate that reduced crop duration did not adversely affect yield performance under the prevailing rainfed conditions. SHPM-1, SHPM-2 and RPCAU-PRM-5 appear promising for further evaluation, cultivation and use as parental material in breeding programmes for rainfed and climate-vulnerable environments.