Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br., syn. Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone], is a staple food for over 90 million poor farmers in arid and semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. We report the ~1.79 Gb genome sequence of reference genotype Tift 23D2B1-P1-P5, which contains an estimated 38,579 genes. Resequencing analysis of 994 (963 inbreds of the highly cross-pollinated cultigen, and 31 wild accessions) provides insights into population structure, genetic diversity, evolution and domestication history. In addition we demonstrated the use of re-sequence data for establishing marker trait associations, genomic selection and prediction of hybrid performance and defining heterotic pools. The genome wide variations and abiotic stress proteome data are useful resources for pearl millet improvement through deploying modern breeding tools for accelerating genetic gains in pearl millet.publishersversionPeer reviewe

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leach into groundwater after crop harvest in the fall, and depending on the species, can sequester atmospheric C Biculture legume-cereal cover cropping may enhance above-and and/or N, thereby reducing the amount of N fertilizer belowground biomass yields and C and N contents. The increase in C and N supply to the soil has the potential to improve soil quality

Sainju, U. M., Whitehead, W. F. and Singh, B. P. 2003. Cover crops and nitrogen fertilization effects on soil aggregation and carbon and nitrogen pools. Can. J. Soil Sci. 83: 155-165. Cover crops and N fertilization rates may influence soil aggregation and associated C and N pools, thereby affecting soil quality and productivity. We compared the effects of legume [hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.)] and nonlegume [rye (Secale cereale L.)] cover crops and N fertilization rates {half N rate [HN: 90 kg N ha -1 yr -1 for 3 yr of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) followed by 80 kg N ha -1 yr -1 for eggplant (Solanum melogena L.)]} and full N rate [FN: 180 kg N ha -1 yr -1 for 3 yr of tomato followed by 160 kg N ha -1 yr -1 for eggplant]}on soil aggregation and C and N pools in whole-soil and aggregates. The pools were organic C, total N, potential C mineralization and potential N mineralization (PCM and PNM), microbial biomass C and microbial biomass N (MBC and MBN), and particulate organic C and particulate organic N (POC and PON). Field experiment was conducted in a Greenville fine sandy loam (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic, Rhodic Kandiudults) from 1995 to 2000 in Fort Valley, Georgia, USA. While the amount of soil present in aggregates decreased with decreasing size class, the amount was greater with nonlegume and FN than with HN and legume cover crops in the 2.00-to 0.85-mm size class. Organic C, PCM, and MBC contents in whole-soil were greater with nonlegume, but MBN and PON were greater with legumes than in the control with no cover crop or N fertilization. Organic C and total N concentrations in aggregates were greater in 2.00-to 0.50-mm than in 4.75-to 2.00-mm, <0.25-mm, or <4.75-mm (whole-soil) size classes, but PNM and MBN were greater in <0.50-or <4.75-mm than in 4.75-to 2.00-mm size classes. As POC and PON decreased with decreasing aggregate-size class, POC in the <0.85-mm size class was greater with nonlegume and PON in the 2.00-to 0.85-mm size classes was greater with legumes than with the control and N rates. Nonlegume may increase soil aggregation, microbial activities, and C sequestration, but legumes may increase N mineralization in the soil compared with no cover crop. Nitrogen fertilization also may improve soil aggregation. Nitrogen mineralization and C and N sequestration may be greater in aggregates <2.00 mm diameter. Cover crops and N fertilization may improve soil quality and productivity, particularly in intermediate and small size (<2.00 mm) aggregates. , aux États-Unis. Bien que la concentration du sol diminue avec la granulométrie, les agrégats de 2,00 à 0,85 mm contiennent plus de sol avec une couverture de non-légumineuses et une fertilisation FN qu'avec les légumineuses et une fertilisation HN. Le sol intégral se caractérisait par une quantité de C organique, un PCM et une MBC plus élevés avec les non-légumineuses qu'avec les légu-mineuses, mais le sol protégé par les légumineuses présentait de plus grandes MBN et PON que celui des parc...

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irnporlant grain lcgurrrc,s fi~r the rnil1rc~r1.s qfpeople in semi-arid arid tropical regron.s yf many Asian and ,.ifrican c,ountrics. ?'heso li:yu~r!c.s are used in various,fi)od,forms aftc~r suitahl~ pro-ccJssrng dcpc,nding on the rcyions rlfth~ir production and a)nsutnption. Such aspcJcts as production and consumption, proc'c,ssing and ,food uscs, chmtnic.al cornposition, and (rffects of procc~ssing on the nutritive vuluc, c?f (h<~.se Icgurnc,~ arc the important toprcr qfthis paper. Ib enhance their utilrzation, neN8 potential and divcrsific~d/ood usev haw hcen highlrghtod. Future rescwrch ncwh and priority aroas arcJ listrd to itnprovr their utili=ation und nutritional quality.

Tillage and spring kill date may affect cover crop N accumulation and subsequent N release to the soil, thereby influencing corn (Zea mays L.) N uptake and yield. We examined the influence of three tillage practices [no till (NT), chisel plowing (CP), and moldboard plowing (MP)], two cover crop management systems [hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) vs. winter weeds], and two cover crop kill–corn planting dates [early (early April cover crop kill and mid to late April corn planting) vs. late (mid to late April cover crop kill and late April to early May corn planting)] on cover crop N accumulation, soil inorganic N, and silage corn N uptake and yield. An experiment was conducted on a Dothan sandy loam (fine‐loamy, siliceous, thermic, Plinthic Paleudults) from 1997 to 1999 in central Georgia. Cover crop N accumulation was higher with late kill than with early kill (113 vs. 104 kg ha−1). Corn yield was higher with late planting in NT than in CP or MP (19.5 vs. 15.1–16.6 Mg ha−1) and higher in CP or MP with early planting than in MP with late planting (18.1–18.4 vs. 15.1 Mg ha−1). Similarly, corn N uptake was higher in NT with late planting than in CP or MP with early or late planting (217 vs. 133–171 kg ha−1). Soil inorganic N (0− to 30‐cm depth) at corn planting was higher in CP than in NT (18.4–30.2 vs. 9.9–20.5 mg kg−1). Corn yield and N uptake in NT and N concentration and uptake in CP and MP can be increased by delaying cover crop kill by 2 wk, but corn yield in CP and MP can be maintained by killing cover crop early in the spring.

Soil carbon (C) sequestration in tilled and nontilled areas can be influenced by crop management practices due to differences in plant C inputs and their rate of mineralization. We examined the influence of four cover crops {legume [hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth)], nonlegume [rye (Secale cereale L.)], biculture of legume and nonlegume (vetch and rye), and no cover crops (or winter weeds)} and three nitrogen (N) fertilization rates (0, 60 to 65, and 120 to 130 kg N ha(-1)) on C inputs from cover crops, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), and sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)], and soil organic carbon (SOC) at the 0- to 120-cm depth in tilled and nontilled areas. A field experiment was conducted on Dothan sandy loam (fine-loamy, siliceous, thermic Plinthic Paleudults) from 1999 to 2002 in central Georgia. Total C inputs to the soil from cover crops, cotton, and sorghum from 2000 to 2002 ranged from 6.8 to 22.8 Mg ha(-1). The SOC at 0 to 10 cm fluctuated with C input from October 1999 to November 2002 and was greater from cover crops than from weeds in no-tilled plots. In contrast, SOC values at 10 to 30 cm in no-tilled and at 0 to 60 cm in chisel-tilled plots were greater for biculture than for weeds. As a result, C at 0 to 30 cm was sequestered at rates of 267, 33, -133, and -967 kg C ha(-1) yr(-1) for biculture, rye, vetch, and weeds, respectively, in the no-tilled plot. In strip-tilled and chisel-tilled plots, SOC at 0 to 30 cm decreased at rates of 233 to 1233 kg C ha(-1) yr(-1). The SOC at 0 to 30 cm increased more in cover crops with 120 to 130 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1) than in weeds with 0 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1), regardless of tillage. In the subtropical humid region of the southeastern United States, cover crops and N fertilization can increase the amount of C input and storage in tilled and nontilled soils, and hairy vetch and rye biculture was more effective in sequestering C than monocultures or no cover crop.