Abstract
This article is dedicated to crops diversification on marginal (low productive, salt affected and abandoned) lands through mobilization of high-yielding, salt- and drought-tolerant, improved genetic lines of sorghum and pearl millet under conditions of Priaralie (downstream of Central Asian rivers). Screening of more than 11 improved lines of sorghum and 7 pearl millet from ICBA through on-station and participatory on-farm trials in rice crops rotation in Kyzylorda region has been performed. Sudan POP I, GB 8735, HHVBC Tall, IP 19586 ‘Sudan Pop III’ of pearl millet and ICSSH 28, ICSSH 58, ICSV 25275 of sorghum were identified as the highly productive the most salt- and drought-tolerant varieties for food, grain and forage production. Sorghum formed more than 68 t/ha and pearl millet 48 t/ha of green forage biomass under limited irrigation on saline soils of Priaralie. Average threshold salinity levels for examined sorghum corresponds as ICSV 93046 > ICSSH58 > SPV1411> S35 > ICSV25279> ICSV112 > ICSV25280 > ICSV 25275 > ICSR93034 > ICSR172 and trend of salinity tolerance for investigated pearl millet varieties is arranged as IP22269 > IP19586 > IP13150 > Hashaki 1 > HHVBC Tall > ICMS7704 accordingly. Positive correlation between dry fodder yield and soil salinity at the 30 cm and 45 cm soil depths was observed for pearl millet and sorghum. Corresponding coefficients of determination (R2) between plant height and soil salinity for pearl millet and sorghum were 0.63 and 0.65. As a result, sorghum and pearl millet planted as main crops after winter wheat harvesting in summer and or second crops in short cropping rotation in rice production system are recommended.
