Unlike conventional pearl millet hybrids that involve two parents, a three-way hybrid combines three parental lines, allowing the integration of multiple traits such as high yield, drought tolerance and superior forage quality.
The International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) through the All India Coulated Research Project on Pearl Millet (AICRP) center of the Rajasthan Agricultural Research Institute (RARI), has developed the hybrid.
The hybrid demonstrated exceptional adaptability and productivity after three years of extensive multi-site testing between 2022 and 2024 at 30 locations in three states. It recorded an average grain yield of about 2,230 kg/ha, which translates into a yield advantage of about 13-27 percent over regional varieties.
It outperformed the widely grown HHB 67. Improved by approximately 28% and shows good resistance to major diseases including downy mildew, blast and soot. It also provides better buffering capacity against biotic and abiotic stresses, making it well suited for stress-sensitive ecologies.
The hybrid RHB 273 was among the 184 improved crop varieties across 25 crops released by Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan early this month. Its cultivation has been reported in areas with annual rainfall less than 400 mm.
“Millets are a lifeline for drought-prone regions in Asia and Africa. Pearl millet is best known for its ability to withstand high temperatures and low water availability,” said Himanshu Pathak, Director General of ICRISAT.
“RHB 273 is an innovative hybrid, and its application, especially in the A1 belt (with low annual rainfall), will significantly enhance pearl millet production in the drought-prone states of Northwest India, contributing to food, nutrition and feed security,” said Tara Satyavathi, Director, ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR).
Feed shortage
In the arid and extremely arid areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana, chronic water scarcity often leads to acute fodder shortages. Besides strengthening food and nutrition security for vulnerable farming communities, RHB 273 will also ensure better fodder availability, thereby sustaining livestock, an ICRISAT official said.
Published on January 21, 2026
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