Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Hard Winter Wheat Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #267455
Title: Genetic diversity and population structure of elite foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.] germplasm in China

Author
item LIU, ZHANGLI - Kansas State University
item Bai, Guihua
item ZHANG, DADONG - Kansas State University
item ZHU, CHENGSONG - Kansas State University
item XIA, XUEYAN - Hebei Academy Of Agriculture & Forestry
item CHENG, RUHONG - Hebei Academy Of Agriculture & Forestry
item SHI, ZHIGANG - Hebei Academy Of Agriculture & Forestry

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/6/2011
Publication Date: 5/10/2011
Citation: Liu, Z., Bai, G., Zhang, D., Zhu, C., Xia, X., Cheng, R., Shi, Z. 2011. Genetic diversity and population structure of elite foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.] germplasm in China. Crop Science. 51:1655-1663.

Interpretive Summary: As climate changes, drought will be one of the major constraints for crop production worldwide. Foxtail millet [Setaria italica] has excellent drought tolerance and has become one of the important cereal crops in China and several other countries that have severe water deficiency. To facilitate effective use of limited genetic resources in breeding programs, genetic diversity and population structure of foxtail millet were investigated in a collection of 128 lines selected from 3356 germplasm lines using molecular markers. The collection was from three major ecological areas of China: northern, northwestern, and northeast China. A high level of genetic diversity across the panel was identified among the collection. The collection is structured into six groups. Lines in Group 2 have unique geographic origins and pedigrees and are different from other groups. Thus crosses of accessions in this group to accessions from other five groups are more likely to generate elite combinations for developing both conventional and hybrid cultivars.

Technical Abstract: China is among the countries that have the most severe water deficiency. Due to its excellent drought tolerance, foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.] has become one of the important cereal crops in China. Information on genetic diversity and population structure of foxtail millet may facilitate effective use of limited genetic resources in breeding programs. In this study, a selected panel of 128 accessions was screened with 79 simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers to investigate genetic diversity and population structure of foxtail millet. The panel was selected from 3356 germplasm collections from three major ecological areas of China: northern, northwestern, and northeasten China. The mean genetic diversity was 0.75, and the mean polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.72, indicating a high level of genetic diversity across the panel. Structure analysis identified six groups, which matches with the pedigree information, in general, but not with their geographic origins. Germplasm in Group 2 have unique geographic origins and pedigrees, which are different from other five groups; thus crosses of accessions in this group to accessions from other groups are more likely to generate expected recombination for developing both conventional and hybrid cultivars.