Researchers studied different pearl millet populations from Africa and Asia to identify groups with high hybrid vigor. They used genetic markers to group the populations and crossed them to create hybrids. The hybrids showed significant increases in grain yield compared to popular varieties, with some combinations performing better than others. Two main heterotic groups were identified, one with populations from Africa and another with populations from both Africa and Asia. Hybrids from these groups showed good performance and potential for developing high-yielding cultivars.