Comprehending the Physiological Efficiency of Millets Under Abiotic Stress

Abstract

Millets are coarse cereals that include sorghum, pearl millet and small millets. Global concern over limited resources, climate change, food and nutritional insecurity has necessitated to improve agricultural productivity and overall sustainability. Owing to their C4 anatomy (C4 photosynthetic trait) and climate resilient adaptability traits, millets are model crops for sustainable agriculture solutions and climate change. Regarded as Climate Smart Crops, they have lesser requirement of water, inputs and crop maintenance so as to obtain the optimum yield and widely adaptable to semi-arid and harsh ecologies. Key features like short life cycle (12–14 weeks from seed to seed), short stature, rapid plant establishment, leaf venation features, deeper root systems and hardiness to stress make them climate resilient. Apart from the above said qualities, millets are regarded as nutri-grains due to their extremely superior nutritional benefits (especially high micronutrients), antioxidants, essential amino acids, dietary fibres, vitamins and minerals. However, attempts for exploiting the climate resiliency features for crop improvement in millets are still at infancy compared to other cereals. Also, there is a huge gap in bringing millet as staples as they were long neglected after major cereals took over the food systems. Reports also depict a major decline in their cultivation area, production and productivity around the globe. In this chapter, the special physiological features and adaption mechanisms which make millets climate resilient has been discussed in detail. The chapter also focuses on the status of available millet genetic resources in India and their efficient use in crop improvement which may further enhance climate resilience and yield potential in millets.