Little Millet Research Articles

First report of a ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ (16Sr I‐B) associated with phyllody disease of Panicum sumatrense in India

First report of a ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ (16Sr I‐B) associated with phyllody disease of Panicum sumatrense in India

Green synthesis and characterization of CuO nanoparticles using Panicum sumatrense grains extract for biological applications

Green synthesis and characterization of CuO nanoparticles using Panicum sumatrense grains extract for biological applications

Priming effect of native rhizosphere bacteria on little millet (Panicum sumatrense)

Summary The declining productivity of little millet (Panicum sumatrense) in a rural area in India necessitates finding a sustainable solution. A suitable composition of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in the rhizosphere of a crop is considered important for its optimum yield. Therefore, a study was undertaken to isolate and identify suitable bacteria and see their priming effect on the productivity of little millet. Rhizospheric soil samples were used to isolate bacteria on nitrogen-free Jensen's medium. Fast-growing rhizobacterial isolates FKK5 and DUM4, which exhibit significant selected plant growth-promoting activities, were selected. Little millet seeds were inoculated with selected PGPR and a non-native Azotobacter chroococcum before sowing. The inoculated plants were grown under semi-sterile poly-house conditions. Little millet inoculated with FKK5, DUM4, and A. chroococcum (5576) showed enhanced grain yield by 28.14%, 24.72%, and 20.43%, respectively, and enhanced total biomass yield by 23.08%, 21.87%, and 19.09%, respectively. The isolates were identified as Burkholderia sp. with 0.66% dissimilarity in 16S rDNA sequence with the most closely related species in the Genbank database. The native PGPR proved to be more effective compared to non-native PGPR as biofertilizers in restoring the productivity of the nutritionally important cereal.

Effect of salt stress on growth and biochemical properties of little millet (Panicum miliare L.)

Effect of salt stress on growth and biochemical properties of little millet (Panicum miliare L.)

Genetic Variability of Yield and its Components in Little Millet [Panicum sumatrense L.]. Local Germplasm

The fifty little millet genotypes were used to study Genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance. The highest estimates of GCV and PCV values were recorded seed yield plant-1 and iron content. Moderate estimates of GCV and PCV values were recorded panicle weight plant-1, total number of tillers plant-1, days to 50 per cent flowering and productive tillers plant-1. Almost all the characters showed high percentage of heritability except productive tillers plant-1 and panicle length showed medium heritability, while number of branches panicle-1 showed low heritability. It indicates that charactersis least influenced by the environmental effect, suggesting scope for improvement of respective characters. The characters iron content, seed yield plant-1, panicle weight plant-1, total number of tillers plant-1 and productive tillers plant-1 showed high heritability accompanied with high genetic advance, it indicates that selection is effective for this characters.

Performance of little millet (Panicum sumatrense) varieties under different levels of nitrogen

Performance of little millet (Panicum sumatrense) varieties under different levels of nitrogen

A dual purpose, high yielding little millet (Panicum sumatrense) variety 'GV-4' (Ambika) for cultivation in Gujarat

The little millet variety ‘GV-4’ (Ambika) is a pure line selection from the local germplasm collected from the Dang District. A little millet variety ‘GV-4’ was tested as a genotype name ‘WV-126’. ‘WV 126’ was tested under the various state trials found to be superior for grain yield (2933 kg/ha) by 21.20, 13.78, 44.39 and 31.44 per cent over the existing checks i.e. GV-2 (LC), GNV-3 (LC), CO-2 (NC) and OLM-203 (NC), respectively over thirteen trials and seven years (2014-15 to 2020-21) of study. The genotype matures in 120-125 days includes under medium duration variety. The genotype WV-126 has 9-10 branches per panicle and 35.5 cm average panicle length. It has special attributes of synchronized maturity and non-lodging growth habit. WV-126 is rich in calcium (17.1 mg/100g), protein (12.91 g/100g), fat (3.3 %), crude fiber (7.5 %), carbohydrates (70.40 g/100g) and minerals (2.7 g/100g). It is resistant to blast (leaf, neck and panicle) and moderately resistant to grain smut and sheath blight when compared to local check GV-2 and GV-3 and national check CO-2, OLM-203 and JK-8. A little millet variety ‘GV-4’ (Gujarat Vari-4) was released as a new variety for cultivation during kharif under rainfed conditions of Gujarat state. Key words: Little millet, high yielding variety, yield attributing characters, nutritional quality etc.

Structural, functional, textural characterization and in vitro digestibility of underutilized Kutki millet (Panicum sumatrense) starch

Kutki millet (Panicum sumatrense) is presently underutilized, despite its potential to deliver a relatively good source of nutrients. Series of investigations were undertaken to evaluate the functional, structural, textural, flowability, pasting, and in vitro digestibility of Kutki millet starch (KMS) taking corn starch (CS) as a control. Various starch digestibility kinetic models were fitted to the experimental data to determine their best fitting and related model parameters. KMS contains a high amount of amylose and showed better pasting, textural properties and can be explored for its various food applications as thickener, stabilizer, and gelling agent, etc. The digestion kinetic model fitting showed that all the models fitted well (R2 > 0.957) except the Paolucci-Jeabjean model (R2 = 0.923). All the models showed a lower value of an amount of initial digestible and maximum digestible starch in the case of KMS than CS. SEM micrographs of KMS showed large polygonal granules and some spherical ones, but CS showed a mixture of angular, spherical, and oval shapes. The finer particle size of KMS makes it suitable as a fat replacer. Our findings indicate that KMS can find versatile food applications and as an excellent option for industrial utilization in addition to the commonly used starches.

Genic microsatellite marker characterization and development in little millet (Panicum sumatrense) using transcriptome sequencing

Little millet is a climate-resilient and high-nutrient value plant. The lack of molecular markers severely limits the adoption of modern genomic approaches in millet breeding studies. Here the transcriptome of three samples were sequenced. A total of 4443 genic-SSR motifs were identified in 30,220 unigene sequences. SSRs were found at a rate of 12.25 percent, with an average of one SSR locus per 10 kb. Among different repeat motifs, tri-nucleotide repeat (66.67) was the most abundant one, followed by di- (27.39P), and tetra- (3.83P) repeats. CDS contained fewer motifs with the majority of tri-nucleotides, while 3′ and 5′ UTR carry more motifs but have shorter repeats. Functional annotation of unigenes containing microsatellites, revealed that most of them were linked to metabolism, gene expression regulation, and response to environmental stresses. Fifty primers were randomly chosen and validated in five little millet and 20 minor millet genotypes; 48% showed polymorphism, with a high transferability (70%) rate. Identified microsatellites can be a noteworthy resource for future research into QTL-based breeding, genetic resource conservation, MAS selection, and evolutionary genetics.

Harmonizing sowing dates with onset of rains to guarantee nutri-millets grain yield and quality under rain dependent farming

Nutri-millets offer copious micronutrients like vitamins, beta-carotene etc. In this present day, all the millets are amazingly superior and are therefore, the result for the malnutrition and obesity that affects a vast majority of the Indian population. They have numerous beneficial properties like drought resistant, good yielding in areas where water is limited and they possess good nutritive values. The prospective water scarcity in semi-arid regions disturbs both normal as well as managed environments, which limits the cultivation of crops, fodder, and other plants. The issues faced by the rain-dependent farming of these semi-arid regions are primarily the unpredictability of the monsoon. Probability analysis of rainfall events are believed to contribute in deciding sowing dates for the current season and for successful crop production in semi-arid environments. The present study was carried out in semi-arid condition to quantify the performance of nutri-millets in the rain dependent farming. The experiment was laid out under factorial randomized block design with 3 replications. The treatments comprises of crop factor viz., Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] (C1) and, little millet [Panicum sumatrense Roth ex Roem. & Schult] (C2) and sowing window factor viz., sowing based farmer’s practice (M1) i.e. on 31st standard meteorological week (SMW); Sowing at 33rd SMW based on 50% rainfall probability (M2); Sowing at 38th SMW based on 75% rainfall probability (M3), Sowing window as per the current weather forecast, for this season on 35th SMW (M4).It is evident from the study that Sowing sorghum at 38th standard meteorological week based on 75% rainfall probability recorded higher grain yield, rain water use efficiency with elevated iron and calcium content. This shows that different sowing dates have significant influence on grain yield and quality of nutri-millets.

Modification of Kutki millet (Panicum sumatrense) starch properties by the addition of amino acids for the preparation of hydrogels and its characterization

Starch is a biopolymer containing hydrophilic groups and is used in hydrogels preparation. Amino acids are multifunctional monomers of proteins that can be used as a cross linker to modify the starch by incorporating new functional groups into its chains. In this study, the Kutki millet starch was isolated and modified with lysine (positively charged), aspartic acid (negatively charged), and threonine (neutral) at varying pH levels. These modified starches were characterized for their various functional, structural, pasting, and textural properties. Hydrogels prepared from Lys9-KMS, Thr9-KMS, and AA11-KMS, possessing less adhesiveness, strong integrity, and hardness were then characterized for their XRD and morphological characterization. The principal component analysis (PCA) biplot showed that the samples modified at higher pH levels are positively correlated with the textural properties, swelling power and amylose content (I and IV quadrants), than those modified at lower pH. It may be inferred that starch modified with amino acid at higher pH have good textural properties than those at lower pH. Results of the overall investigation indicated that among these three amino acids, lysine could be a better cross linker for modification of Kutki millet starch and preparation of their gels for the delivery of nutraceuticals.

Comparative study of physical properties of whole and hulled minor millets for equipment designing

The present research was done for the selected minor millets viz. barnyard ( Echinola esculenta ), Kodo ( Paspalum scrobiculatum ), and little millets ( Panicum sumatrense ). The physical and engineering properties were evaluated at a moisture content of 10–11%, (dry basis) for whole and hulled millets. Significant improvement in the physical properties of the millets was observed for the hulled millets. The hulled millets showed higher sphericity (0.68–0.86) and exhibited a decrease in whole grains' spatial dimensions. The analysis (Gravimetric properties, frictional properties, Aerodynamic properties) was conducted for both whole and hulled millets. In frictional properties, mild steel surface showed the highest angle of static friction (9.78–17.96°) with smooth-rolling. The hulling has shown an improvement in all the physical and engineering properties of millets. In the color values, the whiteness index was improved for hulled millets. In the mechanical property of grains, resistance to crushing was expressed in terms of hardness.

Yield Improvement and Nutrient Uptake of Little Millet (Panicum sumatrense) for Agronomic Interventions

Field experiments were conducted during kharif, 2019 and kharif 2020 at S.V. Agricultural College Farm, Tirupati with three different times of sowing of little millet (second fortnight of June, first fortnight of July and second fortnight of July) in combination with three methods of establishment (Broadcasting, Sowing at 30 cm × 10 cm and transplanting 20 days old seedlings) and three nitrogen levels (20 kg N ha-1, 30 kg N ha-1 and 40 kg N ha-1). The results of the experiment revealed that among the three times of sowing, second fortnight of June sowings recorded higher grain yield, straw yield and nutrient uptake of little millet while lower values of these were obtained with July second fortnight sown crop during both the years of study. Transplanted little millet resulted in superior grain yield, straw yield and nutrient uptake compared to broadcasting and sowing at 30 cm × 10 cm. Maximum values of grain yield, straw yield and nutrient uptake were observed with application of 40 kg N ha-1 while minimum values of these parameters were obtained with application of 20 kg N ha-1. Transplanting little millet during second fortnight of June along with the application of 40 kg N ha-1 achieved higher grain and straw yield besides nutrient uptake by grain.

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

AbstractLittle 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 (R2 = .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.

Influence of γ‐irradiation on antioxidant, thermal and rheological properties of native and irradiated whole grain millet flours

SummaryMillets of different types like Barnyard (Echinochloa utilis), Finger (Eleusine coracana), Foxtail (Setaria italic), Kodo (Paspalum setaceum) Little (Panicum sumatrense), Pearl (Pennisetum glaucum) and Proso millets (Penicum miliaceum) are staple foods for Indian and African diets. The germination, fungal and microbial contamination leads to postharvest losses mainly due to poor warehouse storage in Asia and Africa. Six millet varieties conditioned at 12% and 14% moisture content and irradiated at a dosage of 2.5 and 5 kGy and then milled into flours. The flour was analysed for composition, antioxidant and the rheological and thermal properties. Pearl, Proso, Finger Kodo at 12% moisture contents showed significant (P ≤ 0.05) increase in Phenolic contents at 2.5 kGy level of irradiation treatments compared with native and 5% irradiation treatment level. The DPPH activity showed an interesting results (42.77–72.65%) with wide variation and a mixed trend of high and low results with irradiation. Thermal transition temperatures showed that the irradiation decreased the transition temperatures primarily due to loss of the crystalline and amorphous starch structure due to radiation that lead to rapid water uptake and shorter time to reach peak viscosity. We are further studying the application of the irradiated flours in different food products to understand the influence of irradiation on nutritional, sensory and functional properties in cereal‐based products.

EFFECT OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL MUTAGENESIS IN LITTLE MILLET (PANICUM SUMATRENSE ROTH EX ROEMER AND SCHULTZ) ON SEED GERMINATION, SEEDLING SURVIVAL THROUGH INDUCED MUTATION

Little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth ex Roemer & Schultz) belongs to Poaeceae family and it is Indian in origin. Milletsare mostly rain fed crops and used as food and fodder. Mutations can be induced in a variety of ways, such as by exposure to electromagnetic or ionizing radiation or chemical mutagens. The seed of little millet variety of Co (samai) 4 seeds were treated with different dose/concentration of physical mutagens (5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45 and 50KR) and chemical mutagens like EMS (Ethyl Methane Sulphonate) (5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45 and 50 mM). After that the treated seeds are sown in Petri dish under the laboratory conditions. It was found that the M1 generation is effected in seed germination, seedling survival and morphology mutation.

A Preliminary Study of Nutritional Quality of Five Drought Tolerant Millets

Seeds from greenhouse-grown plants of five food millet crops—[barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentacea Link.), finger millet (Eleusine coracana Gaertn.), kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.), little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth ex Roem. & Schult.), and proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.)] contained 10.4, 5.5, 7.2, 1.3, and 17.1 percent protein; 69, 29, 239, 105, and 32 Fe (mg/100 g); and 33, 22, 23, 31, and 37 (mg/100 g) Zn, respectively. Concentrations (g/100 g) of oil in seeds varied from 1.32 for finger millet to 3.58 for little millet. The oil concentrations for barnyard, kodo, and proso millets were 1.59, 1.64, and 3.36 g/100 g, respectively. Predominant fatty acid in the oil in the seed of these millets was C18:2 followed by C18:1, and C16:0. Concentration of omega-3 fatty acid (a heart-healthy oil) was 1.06, 0.62, 1.01, 0.91, and 3.11 g/100 g in barnyard, kodo, little, proso, and finger millet, respectively. Oils from seeds of these millet crops were essentially free from concentration of anti-nutritive fatty acid C22:1 (Erucic acid). Concentrations (g/100 g) of total sugars varied from 0.96 for barnyard millet to 2.09 for finger millet. The total sugar concentrations for kodo, little, and proso millets were 1.81, 1.95, and 1.99 g/100 g, respectively. Fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, raffinose, and stachyose concentrations varied from 0.05 to 0.47, 0.44 to 0.85, 0.44 to 0.98, 0.02 to 0.33, 0.005 to 0.083, and 0.002 to 0.053, respectively for barnyard, kodo, little, proso, and finger millet, respectively. Results indicated that these millet crops have potential as sources of healthy food and it might be worthwhile to further study their production potential.

Characterization of Little Millet (Panicum sumatrense) Genetic Diversity in Yelagiri Hills of Tamil Nadu

Characterization of Little Millet (Panicum sumatrense) Genetic Diversity in Yelagiri Hills of Tamil Nadu

Investigation on the bio-efficacy of fungal and bacterial bio-agents against Alternaria alternata inciting little millet leaf blight

 Little millet ( Panicum sumatrense Roth ex Roem. and Schult.) is one of the hardiest minor cereal crop indigenous to Indian sub-continent. The crop is cultivated by tribal and poor farmers for food and feed. Leaf blight disease has been a major production constraint and fungicidal sprays for the management of the disease may not be economically viable and feasible. Hence, the present in vitro study was carried out to know the antifungal activity of six fungal and 10 bacterial bio-agents against Alternaria alternata inciting little millet leaf blight disease. Among the fungal bio-agents, Trichoderma harzianum (ThB5) and among the bacterial bio-agents, Bacillus velezensis (P42) showed mycelial growth inhibition of 75.18 and 84.75%, respectively.

De-novo transcriptome analysis unveils differentially expressed genes regulating drought and salt stress response in Panicum sumatrense

Screening the transcriptome of drought tolerant variety of little millet (Panicum sumatrense), a marginally cultivated, nutritionally rich, susbsistent crop, can identify genes responsible for its hardiness and enable identification of new sources of genetic variation which can be used for crop improvement. RNA-Seq generated ~ 230 million reads from control and treated tissues, which were assembled into 86,614 unigenes. In silico differential gene expression analysis created an overview of patterns of gene expression during exposure to drought and salt stress. Separate gene expression profiles for leaf and root tissue revealed the differences in regulatory mechanisms operating in these tissues during exposure to abiotic stress. Several transcription factors were identified and studied for differential expression. 61 differentially expressed genes were found to be common to both tissues under drought and salinity stress and were further validated using qRT-PCR. Transcriptome of P. sumatrense was also used to mine for genic SSR markers relevant to abiotic stress tolerance. This study is first report on a detailed analysis of molecular mechanisms of drought and salinity stress tolerance in a little millet variety. Resources generated in this study can be used as potential candidates for further characterization and to improve abiotic stress tolerance in food crops.