biostudies-literatureUnknown137(1)Burton GPChristiane Morgan at theImperial College LondonNatural Environment Research CouncilBotanic Gardens<h4>Background and aims</h4>Millet crops in the grass genus Digitaria include white and black fonio (D. exilis and D. iburua), raishan (D. compacta) and Polish millet (D. sanguinalis), cultivated across West Africa, India and Europe. Fonio and raishan crops are important in supporting food security and subsistence agricultural systems in rural communities, while D. sanguinalis is no longer cultivated. These crops are resilient to challenging climates. We aim to produce an integrated study of these crops: a phylogeny of the Digitaria genus including all four food species, to identify key crop wild relatives; time-calibrated biogeographic analysis, to investigate the history and evolution of Digitaria; and a morphological study to assess the transition between wild and domesticated species.<Annals of botany141-157https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12784079biostudies-literaturePhylogenetics and evolution of Digitaria grasses, including cereal crops fonio, raishan and Polish millet.PMC12784079Burton GPRyan PUlian TCeci PMacKinnon LMasters LERandrianarimanana NFHTurnbull CGNVorontsova MSfalsePhylogenetics and evolution of Digitaria grasses, including cereal crops fonio, raishan and Polish millet.<h4>Background and aims</h4>Millet crops in the grass genus Digitaria include white and black fonio (D. exilis and D. iburua), raishan (D. compacta) and Polish millet (D. sanguinalis), cultivated across West Africa, India and Europe. Fonio and raishan crops are important in supporting food security and subsistence agricultural systems in rural communities, while D. sanguinalis is no longer cultivated. These crops are resilient to challenging climates. We aim to produce an integrated study of these crops: a phylogeny of the Digitaria genus including all four food species, to identify key crop wild relatives; time-calibrated biogeographic analysis, to investigate the history and evolution of Digitaria; and a morphological study to assess the transition between wild and domesticated species.<2026-01-01T00:00:00Z2026 Jan2026-05-30T03:14:29.912Z2026-05-30T03:10:59.476ZS-EPMC127840794104760310.1093/aob/mcaf212