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Acta Agronomica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 51 ›› Issue (6): 1435-1444.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1006.2025.44204

• CROP GENETICS & BREEDING · GERMPLASM RESOURCES · MOLECULAR GENETICS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A mini core collection of foxtail millet

LIANG Hong-Kai**,ZHAO Su-Meng**,LU Qiong,ZHOU Peng,ZHI Hui,DIAO Xian-Min*,HE Qiang*   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Breeding / Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinse Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
  • Received:2024-12-09 Revised:2025-03-26 Accepted:2025-03-26 Online:2025-06-12 Published:2025-03-31
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the Biological Breeding-National Science and Technology Major Project(2023ZD04076), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32301798), and the Youth Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Y2024QC01).

Abstract:

Germplasm resources form the foundation of crop genetic research, germplasm innovation, and variety improvement. However, as the number of available germplasm resources continues to grow, efficiently studying and utilizing them has become an increasingly urgent challenge. In this study, we analyzed genome data from 967 globally sourced foxtail millet germplasm accessions to construct a representative mini-core collection of 200 accessions, based on genetic diversity, genetic distance, and geographical distribution. This mini-core collection preserves the genetic diversity and population structure of the original germplasm while maintaining broad geographical representation and extensive phenotypic variation. Furthermore, genome-wide association analysis identified 10 QTLs associated with key agronomic traits, including PPLS1, a gene regulating leaf sheath color, and Ghd7.1, a gene linked to heading date. These findings highlight the practical value of the mini-core germplasm collection and provide a valuable genetic resource for the efficient utilization and further improvement of foxtail millet germplasm.

Key words: foxtail millet, germplasm resources, mini-core collection, genome-wide association study, PPLS1, Ghd7.1

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