Developing proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) core collection using geographic and morpho-agronomic data

Abstract

Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a rich source of protein, minerals, and vitamins, and is an important cereal crop of Asia and Africa. Due to its lowest water and nutrient requirement, it has the potential for agriculture diversification. The development of a core collection would assist in efficient management and enhanced utilisation of proso millet genetic resources. The present investigation was conducted to develop a core collection of proso millet based on geographic information and 20 qualitative and quantitative traits recorded on 833 accessions conserved in the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics genebank. The entire germplasm collection was stratified into five groups based on races and data on 20 morpho-agronomic traits were used for clustering following Ward’s method. About 10% (or at least one accession) was randomly selected from each of 101 clusters to constitute a core collection of 106 accessions. Comparisons of means, variances, frequency distribution, diversity indices, and correlation studies indicated that the variation in the entire collection has been preserved in the core collection. This core collection provides a gateway to identify diverse trait-specific germplasm accessions for important agronomic traits and for abiotic and biotic stresses for use in crop improvement research and in crop diversification programs.