Variability and trait‐specific accessions for grain yield and nutritional traits in germplasm of little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth. Ex. Roem. & Schult.)

Abstract

Little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth. Ex. Roem. & Schult.), a member of the grass family Poaceae, is native to India. It is nutritionally superior to major cereals, grows well on marginal lands, and can withstand drought and waterlogging conditions. Two-hundred diverse little millet landraces were characterized to assess variability for agronomic and nutritional traits and identify promising accessions. Highly significant variability was found for all the agronomic and grain nutrient traits. Accessions of robusta were high yielding whereas those of nana were rich in grain nutrients. About 80% of the accessions showed consistent protein and zinc (Zn) contents whereas iron (Fe) and calcium (Ca) contents were less consistent (29.5 and 63.5%, respectively) over 2 yr. Promising trait-specific accessions were identified for greater seed weight (10 accessions), high grain yield (15), high biomass yield (15), and consistently high grain nutrients (30) over 2 yr (R 2 = .69-.74, P ≤ .0001). A few accessions showed consistently high for two or more nutrients (IPmr 449 for Fe, Zn, Ca, and protein; IPmr 981 for Zn and protein). Five accessions (IPmr 855, 974, 877, 897, 767) were high yielding and also rich in Ca. Consumption of 100 g of little millet grains can potentially contribute to the recommended dietary allowance of up to 28% Fe, 37% Zn, and 27% protein. Multilocation evaluation of the promising accessions across different soil types, fertility levels, and climatic conditions would help to identify valuable accessions for direct release as a cultivar or use in little millet improvement. INTRODUCTIONCrop and dietary diversity by including climate-resilient and nutrient-rich underutilized crops can potentially con-Abbreviations: DAS, days after sowing; DV, daily value; RDA, recommended daily allowance per 100 g; SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Millets Can Have a Major Impact on Improving Iron Status, Hemoglobin Level, and in Reducing Iron Deficiency Anemia–A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Although millets are recognized as being naturally rich in iron, their nutrient composition varies with the type, variety, and growing conditions. Commonly used food composition tables while providing an overview of the nutrient composition do not include this detail ( 5 , 9 , 10 ). Presenting a single value for iron level in a type of millet can be misleading as iron levels can vary significantly among varieties.…”

Genetic and genomic interventions in crop biofortification: Examples in millets

“…Hence, one can use XRF to discard the lines, segregate populations with low Fe and Zn, and validate all high Fe and Zn lines with ICP-OES method. Recently, Vetriventhan et al (2021) reported the use of ICP-OES method to estimate Fe, Zn, and Ca content in 200 diverse little millet landraces. Of the total number of accessions evaluated, approximately 80% of accessions revealed consistent protein and Zn content, whereas less consistency was observed for Fe (64%) and Ca (30%) content.…”

“…Hence, one can use XRF to discard the lines, segregate populations with low Fe and Zn, and validate all high Fe and Zn lines with ICP-OES method. Recently, Vetriventhan et al. (2021) reported the use of ICP-OES method to estimate Fe, Zn, and Ca content in 200 diverse little millet landraces.…”

“…Notably, significant positive correlation ( R 2 = 0.69–0.74, p ≤ 0.001) was observed for trait-specific accessions possessing higher grain weight (10 accessions), grain yield (15), biomass (15), and having consistently higher grain nutrient levels (30) over a 2-year period. In addition, five promising accessions possessing higher grain yield and Ca content were also identified ( Vetriventhan et al., 2021 ). After multi-location field evaluation, promising accessions with superior agronomic performance and higher grain nutrient levels can be released for commercial cultivation or used in millet improvement programs.…”

LMTdb: A comprehensive transcriptome database for climate-resilient, nutritionally rich little millet (Panicum sumatrense)

“…Panicum sumatrense (Little millet) is one of the predominant yet lesser-studied, tetraploid species (2n = 4x = 36) of minor millets, essentially cultivated for its grain ( Gomez and Gupta, 2003 ; Das et al., 2020 ). The crop is loaded with nutrients such as dietary fiber, protein, and minerals like iron (Fe = 32.20 ppm) and zinc (Zn = 32.40 ppm) ( Girish et al., 2014 ; Vetriventhan et al., 2021 ) and performs exceptionally well under challenging environmental conditions and is invariably adapted to high temperature and moisture stress ( Ajithkumar and Panneerselvam, 2014 ). Yet, to date, the crop has been considered an ‘orphan’ and has never fallen under the umbrella of extensive research until recent years.…”