HHB 67 Improved
A downy-mildew-resistant upgrade of the older HHB 67 — the disease that used to wipe out the original release in a wet year.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Bajra (Pearl Millet)
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 65–70 days
- Expected yield
- 20–25 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
- Release
- Original HHB 67 released 1990 by CCS HAU, Hisar; downy-mildew-resistant HHB 67 Improved approved for Haryana in 2005, followed by all-India release the same year
About this variety
HHB 67 Improved is a marker-assisted-backcrossed version of India’s widely grown early-maturing pearl millet hybrid HHB 67 (843A × H77/833-2), bred by CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, with resistance genes transferred by ICRISAT. The original HHB 67, released in 1990, offered extra-early maturity under 65 days but remained susceptible to downy mildew (Sclerospora graminicola), a disease capable of cutting yield by up to 30% in an epidemic year. HHB 67 Improved is internationally recognised as India’s first publicly bred crop product of marker-assisted selection: the restorer parent H77/833-2 received a downy-mildew-resistance gene from donor line ICMP 451 via marker-assisted backcrossing, while the seed parent 843A/B received resistance from donor line ICML 22 via conventional backcrossing at ICRISAT. Using DNA markers cut the backcrossing time for the restorer line from about nine years (1991–1999, conventional) to just over three years (1997–2000), and the hybrid otherwise keeps the parentage and extra-early duration of the original HHB 67.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
65–70 days
Expected yield
20–25 q/ha
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Documented 5–10% more grain and stover yield than the original HHB 67, on top of the downy mildew protection
- Kept the extra-early maturity (under 65 days) that made the original HHB 67 popular, so switching to the improved version costs nothing in duration
- Adoption grew from about 47,000 ha in 2006 to roughly 875,000 ha by 2011 across Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat as farmers switched from the disease-prone original
Things to consider
- Resistance is bred against the downy mildew pathotypes known at the time of breeding — as with any single-source resistance, a protective seed treatment is still worth it in a wet year, since pathogen populations can shift over time.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Rajasthan
- Haryana
- Gujarat
Frequently asked questions
What makes HHB 67 Improved historically significant?
It is widely cited as India’s first publicly bred crop hybrid released using marker-assisted selection — DNA markers cut the time needed to backcross downy mildew resistance into the restorer parent from about nine years down to just over three, a template later used for other crop-improvement programmes.
Is HHB 67 Improved a different hybrid from HHB 67?
No — it keeps the same 843A × H77/833-2 parentage and the same extra-early maturity as the original 1990 release. The only change is that both parent lines were backcrossed to carry downy mildew resistance, which is why it is sold as an ‘improved’ version rather than a new hybrid name.
Sourced from: HHB67-Improved Pearl Millet Hybrid — REF 2021 Impact Case Study, Pearl Millet Hybrid "HHB 67 Improved" Developed using MAS, resists downy mildew — OAR@ICRISAT. editorial policy.