Pearl millet is a climate-resilient, drought-tolerant crop capable of growing in marginal environments of arid and semi-arid regions globally. Pearl millet is a staple food for more than 90 million people living in poverty and can address the triple burden of malnutrition substantially. It remained a neglected crop until the turn of the 21st century, and much emphasis has been placed since then on the development of various genetic and genomic resources for whole-genome scan studies, such as the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic selection (GS). This was facilitated by the advent of sequencingbased genotyping, such as genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), RAD-sequencing, and whole-genome re-sequencing (WGRS) in pearl millet. To carry out GWAS and GS, a world association mapping panel called the Pearl Millet inbred Germplasm Association Panel (PMiGAP) was developed at ICRISAT in partnership with Aberystwyth University. This panel consisted of germplasm lines, landraces, and breeding lines from 27 countries and was re-sequenced using the WGRS approach. It has a repository of circa 29 million genome-wide SNPs. PMiGAP has been used to map traits related to drought tolerance, grain Fe and Zn content, nitrogen use efficiency, components of endosperm starch, grain yield, etc. Genomic selection in pearl millet was jump-started recently by WGRS, RAD, and tGBS (tunable genotyping-by-sequencing) approaches for the PMiGAP and hybrid parental lines. Using multi-environment phenotyping of various training populations, initial attempts have been made to develop genomic selection models. This mini review discusses advances and prospects in GWAS and GS for pearl millet.

Exploring the natural genetic variability and its exploitation for improved Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) in sorghum is one of the primary goals in the modern crop improvement programs. The integrated strategies include high-throughput phenotyping, next generation sequencing (NGS)-based genotyping technologies, and a priori selected candidate gene studies that help understand the detailed physiological and molecular mechanisms underpinning this complex trait. A set of sixty diverse sorghum genotypes was evaluated for different vegetative, reproductive, and yield traits related to NUE in the field (under three N regimes) for two seasons. Significant variations for different yield and related traits under 0 and 50% N confirmed the availability of native genetic variability in sorghum under low N regimes. Sorghum genotypes with distinct genetic background had interestingly similar NUE associated traits. The Genotyping-By-Sequencing based SNPs (>89 K) were used to study the population structure, and phylogenetic groupings identified three distinct groups. The information of grain N and stalk N content of the individuals covered on the phylogenetic groups indicated randomness in the distribution for adaptation under variable N regimes. This study identified promising sorghum genotypes with consistent performance under varying environments, with buffer capacity for yield under low N conditions. We also report better performing genotypes for varied production use—grain, stover, and dual-purpose sorghum having differential adaptation response to NUE traits. Expression profiling of NUE associated genes in shoot and root tissues of contrasting lines (PVK801 and HDW703) grown in varying N conditions revealed interesting outcomes. Root tissues of contrasting lines exhibited differential expression profiles for transporter genes [ammonium transporter (SbAMT), nitrate transporters (SbNRT)]; primary assimilatory (glutamine synthetase (SbGS), glutamate synthase (SbGOGAT[NADH], SbGOGAT[Fd]), assimilatory genes [nitrite reductase (SbNiR[NADH]3)]; and amino acid biosynthesis associated gene [glutamate dehydrogenase (SbGDH)]. Identification and expression profiling of contrasting sorghum genotypes in varying N dosages will provide new information to understand the response of NUE genes toward adaptation to the differential N regimes in sorghum. High NUE genotypes identified from this study could be potential candidates for in-depth molecular analysis and contribute toward the development of N efficient sorghum cultivars.

The phenomenon of heterosis has fascinated plant breeders ever since it was first described by Charles Darwin in 1876 in the vegetable kingdom and later elaborated by George H Shull and Edward M East in maize during 1908. Heterosis is the phenotypic and functional superiority manifested in the F1 crosses over the parents. Various classical complementation mechanisms gave way to the study of the underlying potential cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for heterosis. In cereals, such as maize, heterosis has been exploited very well, with the development of many single-cross hybrids that revolutionized the yield and productivity enhancements. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) is one of the important cereal crops with nutritious grains and lower water and energy footprints in addition to the capability of growing in some of the harshest and most marginal environments of the world. In this highly cross-pollinating crop, heterosis was exploited by the development of a commercially viable cytoplasmic male-sterility (CMS) system involving a three-lines breeding system (A-, B- and R-lines). The first set of male-sterile lines, i.e., Tift 23A and Tift18A, were developed in the early 1960s in Tifton, Georgia, USA. These provided a breakthrough in the development of hybrids worldwide, e.g., Tift 23A was extensively used by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, India, for the development of the first single-cross pearl millet hybrid, named Hybrid Bajra 1 (HB 1), in 1965. Over the past five decades, the pearl millet community has shown tremendous improvement in terms of cytoplasmic and nuclear diversification of the hybrid parental lines, which led to a progressive increase in the yield and adaptability of the hybrids that were developed, resulting in significant genetic gains. Lately, the whole genome sequencing of Tift 23D2B1 and re-sequencing of circa 1000 genomes by a consortium led by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has been a significant milestone in the development of cutting-edge genetic and genomic resources in pearl millet. Recently, the application of genomics and molecular technologies has provided better insights into genetic architecture and patterns of heterotic gene pools. Development of whole-genome prediction models incorporating heterotic gene pool models, mapped traits and markers have the potential to take heterosis breeding to a new level in pearl millet. This review discusses advances and prospects in various fronts of heterosis for pearl millet.

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is a C4 crop cultivated for its grain and stover in crop-livestock-based rain-fed farming systems of tropics and subtropics in the Indian subcontinent and sub-Saharan Africa. The intensity of drought is predicted to further exacerbate because of looming climate change, necessitating greater focus on pearl millet breeding for drought tolerance. The nature of drought in different target populations of pearl millet-growing environments (TPEs) is highly variable in its timing, intensity, and duration. Pearl millet response to drought in various growth stages has been studied comprehensively. Dissection of drought tolerance physiology and phenology has helped in understanding the yield formation process under drought conditions. The overall understanding of TPEs and differential sensitivity of various growth stages to water stress helped to identify target traits for manipulation through breeding for drought tolerance. Recent advancement in high-throughput phenotyping platforms has made it more realistic to screen large populations/germplasm for drought-adaptive traits. The role of adapted germplasm has been emphasized for drought breeding, as the measured performance under drought stress is largely an outcome of adaptation to stress environments. Hybridization of adapted landraces with selected elite genetic material has been stated to amalgamate adaptation and productivity. Substantial progress has been made in the development of genomic resources that have been used to explore genetic diversity, linkage mapping (QTLs), marker-trait association (MTA), and genomic selection (GS) in pearl millet. High-throughput genotyping (HTPG) platforms are now available at a low cost, offering enormous opportunities to apply markers assisted selection (MAS) in conventional breeding programs targeting drought tolerance. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, micro-environmental modeling, and pearl millet whole genome re-sequence information covering circa 1,000 wild and cultivated accessions have helped to greater understand germplasm, genomes, candidate genes, and markers. Their application in molecular breeding would lead to the development of high-yielding and drought-tolerant pearl millet cultivars. This review examines how the strategic use of genetic resources, modern genomics, molecular biology, and shuttle breeding can further enhance the development and delivery of drought-tolerant cultivars.

Nitrogen (N) is one of the primary macronutrients required for crop growth and yield. This nutrient is especially limiting in the dry and low fertility soils where pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br] is typically grown. Globally, pearl millet is the sixth most important cereal grown by subsistence farmers in the arid and semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Most of these agro-ecologies have low N in the root zone soil strata. Therefore, there is an immense need to identify lines that use nitrogen efficiently. A set of 380 diverse pearl millet lines consisting of a global diversity panel (345), parents of mapping populations (20), and standard checks (15) were evaluated in an alpha-lattice design with two replications, 25 blocks, a three-row plot for 11 nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) related traits across three growing seasons (Summer 2017, Rainy 2017, and Summer 2018) in an N-depleted precision field under three different N levels (0%-N0, 50%-N50, 100%-N100 of recommended N, i.e., 100 kg ha–1). Analysis of variance revealed significant genetic variation for NUE-related traits across treatments and seasons. Nitrogen in limited condition (N0) resulted in a 27.6 and 17.6% reduction in grain yield (GY) and dry stover yield (DSY) compared to N50. Higher reduction in GY and DSY traits by 24.6 and 23.6% were observed under N0 compared to N100. Among the assessed traits, GY exhibited significant positive correlations with nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUtE) and nitrogen harvest index (NHI). This indicated the pivotal role of N remobilization to the grain in enhancing yield levels. Top 25 N-insensitive (NIS-top grain yielders) and N-sensitive (NS-poor grain yielders) genotypes were identified under low N conditions. Out of 25 NIS lines, nine genotypes (IP 10820, IP 17720, ICMB 01222-P1, IP 10379, ICMB 89111-P2, IP 8069, ICMB 90111-P2, ICMV IS89305, and ICMV 221) were common with the top 25 lines for N100 level showing the genotype plasticity toward varying N levels. Low N tolerant genotypes identified from the current investigation may help in the identification of genomic regions responsible for NUE and its deployment in pearl millet breeding programs through marker-assisted selection (MAS).