Characterization of finger millet global germplasm diversity panel for grain nutrients and identification of promising sources for utilization in biofortification breeding

Authors: BACKIYALAKSHMI, C - Tamil Nadu Agricultural University; BABU, C - Tamil Nadu Agricultural University; DESHPANDE, SANTOSH - International Crops Research Institute For Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - India; GOVINDARAJ, MAHALINGAM - International Center For Tropical Agriculture (CIAT); Gupta, Rajeev; SUDHAGAR, R - Indian Institute Of Sugarcane Research; NARESH, D - Tamil Nadu Agricultural University; ANITHA, S - Lilongwe University Of Agriculture And Natural Resources; OVAISE, PEERZADA - International Crops Research Institute For Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - India; VETRIVENTHAN, MANI - International Crops Research Institute For Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - India; SAJJA, SOBHAN - International Crops Research Institute For Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - India; SINGH, KULDEEP - International Crops Research Institute For Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) - India

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/11/2023
Publication Date: 8/25/2023
Citation: Backiyalakshmi, C., Babu, C., Deshpande, S., Govindaraj, M., Gupta, R., Sudhagar, R., Naresh, D., Anitha, S., Ovaise, P., Vetriventhan, M., Sajja, S., Singh, K. 2023. Characterization of finger millet global germplasm diversity panel for grain nutrients and identification of promising sources for utilization in biofortification breeding. Crop Science. https://10.1002/csc2.21085.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.21085

Interpretive Summary: Finger millet is an important dryland crop grown in Asia and Africa where its grains are used as food while stover is used as fodder. The grain nutrient concentration of finger millet is superior to major cereals, for example, it is a rich source of calcium, with up to 10-fold higher concentration than rice, wheat, and maize, and eight-fold higher than pearl millet. In this study, the finger millet diversity panel consisting of 310 accessions representing the global collection was characterized for nine grain nutrients, and we studied the variability and their association with grain yield. The results showed a large variability in finger millet germplasm for grain nutrients. This study provides insight into the variability present in the germplasm collections that could be used in finger millet improvement to develop and disseminate the future biofortified breeding pipelines to address the food, fodder and nutritional security concerns in semi-arid regions of the world.

Technical Abstract: Finger millet is a versatile dryland crop and a rich source of calcium. Estimating the extent of variability for grain nutrient traits in germplasm is critical for the development of varieties with high grain nutrients. In this study, the finger millet diversity panel (310 accessions) representing the global collection of the finger millet germplasm conserved at the ICRISAT genebank was characterized for nine-grain nutrients, and studied the variability and their association with grain yield and its contributing traits. The results showed a larger variability in finger millet germplasm for grain nutrients: Fe (20.44-42.76 mg kg-1), Zn (17.45-34.39 mg kg-1), Ca (2986.92-4869.20 mg kg-1), Mg (1332.52-1908.54 mg kg-1), Cu (4.04-8.68 mg kg-1), S (1061.07-1489.58 mg kg-1), P (2894.69-3457.79 mg kg-1), K (3093.20-5551.21 mg kg-1) and Protein (7.27 – 10.74%). A non-significant correlation between grain yield and Ca was noticed among accessions within landraces, breeding lines and accessions from Asia, while this correlation was significantly negative among accessions from Africa and in the entire set, indicating that grain yield and Ca content could be simultaneously improved but depends on population under study. The top 10 accessions for higher grain nutrients traits and accessions with multi-nutrient traits were identified which could be used as sources for future finger millet breeding programs.