The first molecular marker-based genetic linkage map of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) was built with restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP), the marker system of choice in the early 1990s. This map has served as the basis for subsequent pearl millet marker-based studies at the John Innes Centre.

Twenty-eight inbred lines of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) obtained from ICRISAT, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India, were evaluated for salt tolerance under laboratory conditions. Seeds were germinated on filter papers on Hoagland's solutions containing 0, 75, 100 or 150 mM NaCl. Fifteen seeds were germinated in each culture tube and the seedlings were allowed to grow for 10 days in the same nutrient solutions. The genotype x salinity interaction was significant for shoot and root lengths.