Biggest of tinies: natural variation in seed size and mineral distribution in the ancient crop tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter].

ABSTRACT: Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is the major staple crop for millions of people in Ethiopia and Eritrea and is believed to have been domesticated several thousand years ago. Tef has the smallest grains of all the cereals, which directly impacts its productivity and presents numerous challenges to its cultivation. In this study, we assessed the natural variation in seed size of 189 tef and 11 accessions of its wild progenitor Indian lovegrass (Eragrostis pilosa (L.) P. Beauv.) and explored the mineral distribution of representative accessions. Our findings revealed significant natural variation in seed size and mineral concentration among both the tef and E. pilosa accessions. We observed significant variation in seed length, seed width, and seed area among the acc

SUBMITTER: Whisnant ED 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11669528 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature