Evaluation of millets for physio-chemical and root morphological traits suitable for resilient farming and nutritional security in Eastern Himalayas

Layek, J and Rangappa, K and Das, A and Ansari, M A and Choudhary, S and Rajbonshi, N and Patra, S and Kumar, A and Mishra, V K and Ravisankar, N and Kumar, S and Hazarika, S and Dutta, S K and Babu, S and Tahasildar, M and Shettigar, N (2023) Evaluation of millets for physio-chemical and root morphological traits suitable for resilient farming and nutritional security in Eastern Himalayas. Frontiers in Nutrition (TSI), 10. 01-17. ISSN 2296-861X

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Abstract

Introduction:Millets are nutritionally superior and climate-resilient short-duration crops and hold a prominent place in cropping sequences around the world. They have immense potential to grow in a marginal environment due to diverse adaptive mechanisms. Methods: An experiment was conducted in an organic production system in the North Eastern Himalayan foothills of India for 3 consecutive years by evaluating high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of different millets, viz., finger millet, foxtail millet, little millet, barnyard millet, proso millet, and browntop millet, along with local landraces of finger millets (Sikkim-1 and Sikkim-2; Nagaland-1 and Nagaland-2) to identify stable, high-yielding, and nutritionally superior genotypes suited for the region. Results: Among the various millets, finger millet, followed by little millet and foxtail millet, proved their superiority in terms of productivity (ranging between 1.16 and 1.43Mg ha−1) compared to other millets. Among different varieties of finger millets, cv. VL Mandua 352 recorded the highest average grain yield (1.43Mg ha−1) followed by local landraces, Nagaland-2 (1.31Mg ha−1) and Sikkim-1 (1.25Mg ha−1). Root traits such as total root length, root volume, average diameter of roots, and root surface area were significantly higher in finger millet landraces Nagaland-1, Nagaland-2, and Sikkim-1 compared to the rest of the millet genotypes. The different millets were found to be rich sources of protein as recorded in foxtail millet cv. SiA 3088 (12.3%), proso millet cv. TNAU 145 (11.5%), and finger millet landraces, Sikkim-1 and Nagaland-2 (8.7% each). Finger millet landrace Sikkim-2 recorded the highest omega-6 content (1.16%), followed by barnyard millet cv. VL 207 (1.09%). Barnyard millet cv. VL 207 recorded the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content (1.23%), followed by foxtail millet cv. SiA 3088 (1.09%). The local finger millet landraces Sikkim-1 and Sikkim-2 recorded the highest levels of histidine (0.41%) and tryptophan (0.12%), respectively. Sikkim-1 and Nagaland-2 recorded the highest level of thiamine (0.32%) compared to the HYVs. Conclusion: These findings indicate that finger millet has great potential in the organic production system of the North Eastern Himalayan Region (NEHR) of India, and apart from HYVs like VL Mandua 352, local landraces, viz., Nagaland-2 and Sikkim-1, should also be promoted for ensuring food and nutritional security in this fragile ecosystem.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Global Research Program - Accelerated Crop Improvement
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	millets, physio-chemical traits, root architecture, nutritional security, destabilized soil ecosystem
Subjects:	Mandate crops > Millets Others > Food and Nutrition
Depositing User:	Mr Nagaraju T
Date Deposited:	29 Jan 2024 10:47
Last Modified:	29 Jan 2024 10:47
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/12397
Official URL:	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10353...
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	The authors are thankful to ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram, and ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam, Meghalaya (institutional project) for providing technical and financial support for the experiment and laboratory analysis. We are also thankful to the director of ICARIIFSR for financial assistance in the publication of the research outcome under the AI-NPOF project.
Links:	Google Scholar

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