A High-Yielding and Medium Maturing Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) Variety ‘Cheongpungchal’

Abstract

To satisfy the health needs of consumers and enhance the yields of producers, a grain crop 'Cheongpungchal' (Panicum miliaceum L.) with many common names, including proso millet, was collected from a landrace in Danyang, Chungbuk province and developed using a pure-line selection method. 'Cheongpungchal', which has a brown seed coat, has characteristics of a medium-maturing variety, requiring 102 days from sowing to harvesting. The variable growth characteristics included a stem length of 155 cm on average and length of ears 38.4 cm on average. As for the yield-related characteristics, the average number of spikes per plant was 3.8, the ear weight per plant was 11.8 g, and the rough millet thousand-grain weight averaged 5.17 g. The results of a regional adaptation test in 5 regions of Korea for three years revealed the yield of 'Cheongpungcha'l to be 38% higher than that of the 'Hwanggeumgijang' variety, representing the best yield from among existing varieties. The total polyphenolic content of 'Cheongpungchal' was 32% higher than that of the 'Hwanggeumgijang' variety, and the antioxidant activity was 63% greater than that of 'Hwanggeumgijang'. As a result of this research, 'Cheongpungchal' has been registered as a variety (grant number No. 6964) with the Korea Seed and Varieties Service in 2018 following filing for breed protection in 2016.