Minor Millets: Cultivation, Breeding, Genomics and Uses

This book on minor millets provides a detailed account of their crop biology, agronomy, genetics, breeding, genomic resources, production constraints and value addition. The potential of minor millets in addressing food and nutritional insecurities is well-recognized. Government of India declared millets as “Shree Anna” as they are a powerhouse of nutrients and possess strong climate-resilience properties. Minor millet species, such as finger millet, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, little millet, proso millet, kodo millet, fonio millet, and teff, are the oldest-cultivated crops that are used for both food and fodder in semi-arid regions of Asia and Africa. In the recent times, they have become important due to their unparalleled nutritional profile, recognized nutraceutical properties, versatile environmental adaptability, and ability to flourish in low input agriculture and organic cultivation. However, their cultivation and consumption are declining due to lack of awareness and unavailability of literature to a broad range of audience.

This book serves as reference material for researchers and students engaged in genetic improvement, biochemistry, processing, and value addition of minor millets. 

Dr. D. C. Joshi is the Principle Investigator for Minor millets improvement program at ICAR-Vivekananda ParvatiyaKrishiAnusandhan Sansthan, Almora, India. He was involved in developing eight cultivars of minor millets and has registered seven trait-specific genetic stocks of minor millets. He has decoded the genetics of economic traits like blast resistance in finger millet and root architecture in sorghum utilizing genomics tools. He has published numerous research articles in well-reputed peer-reviewed national and international journals. He is a recipient of IACBG Fellowship from Department of Biotechnology, Australian Centre of International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Scholarship and Best Performing Centre Award of All India Coordinated Research Project on Minor millets (AICRP-SM) for minor millets research.

 Dr. Amit Kumar Singh is currently working as s Senior Scientist at ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India. He obtained his doctorate in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. He has over 18 years of experience in the field of plant genomics. His main research focus is on the development of novel genomic resources and trait mapping in cereal and under-utilized crops by applying advanced genomics tools such as transcriptomics and genome-wide association mapping. He has developed a novel promoter-based marker technique, CAAT box-derived polymorphism (CBDP), which is widely used by researchers worldwide in plant genome analysis. Dr. Singh has published many research publications in various international journals. He is a recipient of the prestigious Endeavour award from the Government of Australia, and fellowships from many professional societies.

 Dr.SalejSood has worked with industry and the public sector for 15 years in the field of Plant Breeding and Genetics. He was involved in the development of multiple varieties and technologies in minor millets and potential crops in India. He has worked in interdisciplinary teams and used both conventional and molecular tools for the genetic improvement of crops. His area of expertise is marker-assisted selection, genome-wide association studies and genomic selection. He has good experience in germplasm characterization and evaluation, varietal development, development of mapping populations and association mapping panels. He has more than numerous peer-reviewed publications in journals of repute. He has done his post-doctoral research work on genomic selection at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, received National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India Associateship in 2019, Endeavour Research Fellowship in 2018, the fellowship of the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding in 2021 and several other institutional and societies research awards.

 Dr. Manoj Prasad is currently working as a Professor and JC Bose National Fellow at DBT-National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi, India. Prior to this, he served as Alexander von Humboldt Fellow (2000-2003) at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics & Crop Plant Research (IPK), Gatersleben, Germany. His research interests include plant molecular genetics, genomics and stress biology. Dr. Prasad has published more than 200 papers in high-impact journals like Trends in Plant Sciences; Trends in Genetics; Trends in Microbiology, Journal of Exp Botany and PNAS, USA. He is the recipient of prestigious awards and recognitions like Tata Innovation Fellow, National Bioscience Award, BirbalSahni Medal, Golden Peacock Award and Hiralal Chakraborty Memorial Award.