There is great necessity of the management of crop plants which can solve the great problem of food in the arid and semi-arid regions and can adapt and produce in these conditions. The common names of pearl millets are Pennisetum typhoides (Burm), Stapf and Hubb and Pennisetum glaucum (L.) Br. The actual name P. americanum is given by Clusias. Pearl millet is of African origin and domesticated. According to Vavilov pearl millet is originated in Ethiopia. Murdock put forward its origin in Africa near Niger river. The great diversity is found in West African regions, South of Sahara desert and Sahel regions.

Pearl millet is sown in the arid and semiarid tropical regions with annual temperature ranging from 18 to 35° C, precipitations of 200-600 mm per year under rainfed situations. The poor distribution, frequency and duration of precipitation generates severe drought which affect the grain yield and forage. Pearl millet has capacity to produce under these conditions compared to other traditional crops.

The improvement of pearl millet and other minor cereals are potential sources of food has been appreciated in these regions, compared to other crops similar to rice, wheat and maize in developed countries. In Africa, India, China, Korea, Japan, the millets are cultivated abundantly for human and animal food in the arid and semiarid regions under rainfed conditions.

Owing to increasing populations and the greater demand of food, it is a great necessity to incorporate the crop species for better adaptation to the stress situations such as high temperature, drought, poor fertile, salinity, alkalinity of soils.

The present book pretend to contribute an extensive research review during the last decade on various disciplines of pearl millet starting from origin, crop physiology to biotechnology.

The book aims to serve as a major source of information for the students, researchers, farmers and producers to know about research advances on capsicum sciences made by the scientists throughout the world.