Harnessing Benefits of Finger Millet in Combating Micronutrient Malnutrition through Genetics and Genomic ApproachesSPuranikauthorA GPhilliamauthorHOjulongauthorRYadavauthorIn developing countries, 80% deaths are attributed to continuous persistence micronutrient deficiency and associated infections and chronic diseases. Traditional crops harbouring health benefitting characteristics and micronutritional richness can deliver a low cost sustainable food-based solution for nutrition and health in such countries. Finger millet, one such traditional crop grown in most marginal areas of Africa and Asia, is a rich source of health benefitting micronutrients, phytochemicals, vitamins and several essential amino acids. The objective of this work is to use advances in genetics and genomics approaches for better understanding the genetic control of these health benefitting traits and to breed them effectively into other staple crops consumed on daily basis. A set of 190 genotypes incorporating a minicore collection of finger millet together with a number of elite breeding lines has been assembled to capture and characterise entire genetic variation associated with such traits in the crop germplasm. These genotypes have been extensively characterised for diversity in micronutrients (such as iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium), protein and anti-nutrients (phytate and oxalate). Large-scale GBS performed on this association panel has generated 156,157 SNPs which are being used in genome-wide association studies. Our work has identified a number of genomic regions in finger millet associated with both the health benefitting traits as well as with other factors that affect their bioavailability. This work will significantly contribute in developing means of assessing how such genetic variations are distributed in other staple crops.Finger MilletGenetics and GenomicsFood and NutritionFood Security2016-11Conference or Workshop Item