Drought Adaptation in Millets

Tadele, Zerihun

doi:10.5772/61929

Cited by 58 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 78 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Drylands can be classified into four major types, viz. hyper-arid deserts, arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid [18]. PM are greatly cultivated in the semiarid region of the world where low and erratic rainfall is common with periodic drought.…”

Section: Droughtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Bird Feed: Proso Millet for Human Health and Environment

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Domesticated in 8000–10,000 BP in northern China, proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is the best adaptive rotational crop for semiarid central High Plains of the USA, where average annual precipitation is 356–407 mm. Proso millet has multiple benefits when consumed as human food. Proso millet is rich in minerals, dietary fiber, polyphenols, vitamins and proteins. It is gluten-free and therefore, ideal for the gluten intolerant people. Proso millet contains high lecithin which supports the neural health system. It is rich in vitamins (niacin, B-complex vitamins, folic acid), minerals (P, Ca, Zn, Fe) and essential amino acids (methionine and cysteine). It has a low glycemic index and reduces the risk of type-2 diabetes. Unfortunately, in the USA, it is mostly considered as bird feed, whereas it is mainly used as human food in many other countries. Besides human health benefits, proso millet has an impeccable environmental benefit. Proso millet possesses many unique characteristics (e.g., drought tolerance, short-growing season) which makes it a promising rotational crop for winter wheat-based dryland farming systems. Proso millet provides the most economical production system when used in a two years wheat/summer fallow cropping system in semiarid High Plains of the USA. It helps in controlling winter annual grass weeds, managing disease and insect pressure and preserving deep soil moisture for wheat. Proso millet can also be used as a rotational crop with corn or sorghum owing to its tolerance for atrazine, the primary herbicide used in corn and sorghum production systems. Proso millet certainly is a climate-smart, gluten-free, ancient, and small grain cereal, which is healthy to humans and the environment. The main challenge is to expand the proso millet market beyond bird feed into the human food industry. To overcome the challenge, unique proso millet varieties for human food and ready-to-use multiple food products must be developed. This requires successful collaboration among experts from diverse disciplines such as breeders, geneticists, food chemists and food industry partners.

show abstract

Section: Droughtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Bird Feed: Proso Millet for Human Health and Environment

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Stress tolerance is probably the most explored trait in millets (Charu Lata, 2015; Tadele, 2016). In foxtail millet, several studies have reported on candidate genes regulating drought stress.…”

Section: Setaria Viridis As a Model System To Dissect Gene Function Imentioning

confidence: 99%

Setaria viridis as a Model System to Advance Millet Genetics and Genomics

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Millet is a common name for a group of polyphyletic, small-seeded cereal crops that include pearl, finger and foxtail millet. Millet species are an important source of calories for many societies, often in developing countries. Compared to major cereal crops such as rice and maize, millets are generally better adapted to dry and hot environments. Despite their food security value, the genetic architecture of agronomically important traits in millets, including both morphological traits and climate resilience remains poorly studied. These complex traits have been challenging to dissect in large part because of the lack of sufficient genetic tools and resources. In this article, we review the phylogenetic relationship among various millet species and discuss the value of a genetic model system for millet research. We propose that a broader adoption of green foxtail (Setaria viridis) as a model system for millets could greatly accelerate the pace of gene discovery in the millets, and summarize available and emerging resources in S. viridis and its domesticated relative S. italica. These resources have value in forward genetics, reverse genetics and high throughput phenotyping. We describe methods and strategies to best utilize these resources to facilitate the genetic dissection of complex traits. We envision that coupling cutting-edge technologies and the use of S. viridis for gene discovery will accelerate genetic research in millets in general. This will enable strategies and provide opportunities to increase productivity, especially in the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa where millets are staple food crops.

show abstract

“…Through its short growing season and very low water and nutrient requirements, proso millet is a very resilient crop that can thrive and produce good yields at a variety of altitudes, and can withstand various environmental constraints, such as drought, high temperatures, and poor soils [44,45]. Proso millet has the lowest water consumption among all of the cereal crops due to its high water-use efficiency [45], which is one of the benefits of C 4 metabolism [46].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Severe Water Deficiency during the Mid-Vegetative and Reproductive Phase has Little Effect on Proso Millet Performance

Grašič

Golob

Vogel‐Mikuš

et al. 2019

Water

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Climate change can result in extreme droughts, significantly affecting crop production. C 4 crop proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) has the lowest water consumption among all of the cereal crops. Understanding its survival mechanisms is thus crucial for agriculture. Furthermore, yield reduction does not only occur directly due to water shortage, but is also a consequence of an impaired element uptake during drought. This study aimed to examine the effect of water deficiency on proso millet leaf traits, plant biomass partition, and yield. In addition, leaf element contents were analysed, including silicon, which is an important multifunctional element for grasses. The majority of the measured parameters showed little change from the control to the moderate and severe water shortage treatments, even though the soil moisture levels differed significantly. The most pronounced reduction in comparison to the control was for leaf biomass, leaf stomatal conductance, and leaf silicon, phosphorus, calcium, and sulphur contents. Conversely, an increase was obtained for leaf potassium and chlorine contents. Panicle biomass was the same for all plant groups. Leaf silicon was positively correlated to reflectance in the UV region, while leaf calcium was negatively correlated to reflectance in the visible regions, which might prevent damage due to short-wave UV radiation and provide sufficient visible light for photosynthesis. The efficient light and water management, reduction of leaf biomass, and same-sized root system may be the mechanisms that mitigate the negative effects of water shortage in proso millet.

show abstract

Drought Adaptation in Millets

Cited by 58 publications

References 78 publications

Beyond Bird Feed: Proso Millet for Human Health and Environment

Beyond Bird Feed: Proso Millet for Human Health and Environment

Setaria viridis as a Model System to Advance Millet Genetics and Genomics

Severe Water Deficiency during the Mid-Vegetative and Reproductive Phase has Little Effect on Proso Millet Performance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About