Identification and evaluation of phenotypic characters and genetic diversity analysis of 1,558 foxtail millet germplasm resources for conservation and breeding.

ABSTRACT: Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is a specialty mixed grain crop that originated in China. This study comprehensively assessed the phenotypic variability of 1,558 foxtail millet accessions to explore their genetic diversity and facilitate effective germplasm conservation. A total of 25 traits, including 11 quantitative and 14 qualitative, were investigated based on the quantization of physical and chemical descriptors and digital image analysis. The findings revealed significant variations in the coefficient of variation (CV) among the quantitative traits, which ranged from 3.90-28.38%. That of the qualitative traits ranged from 7.44-66.20%. The Shannon-Wiener Index (H') of the quantitative traits ranged between 1.86-2.08, and that of the qualitative traits ranged from 0.04-1.40. Hi

SUBMITTER: Xue X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12307377 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature