ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Breeding
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1649200
Genetic diversity analysis of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) germplasm resources based on phenotypic traits and SSR markers
Provisionally accepted
Ziyang Lv1Yixuan Yang1Hanghang Hou1Shangkun Yang1Zhijia Cui1Xi Zhang1Jing Li2Yuhao Yuan3Minxuan Liu4
Baili Feng1*- 1Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
- 2Yan'an university, Yanan, China
- 3Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- 4Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
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Germplasm resources are vital for food security and agricultural sustainability, providing the basis for seed industry innovation. In the present study, 1,582 proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) germplasm resources, comprising landraces, cultivars, wild varieties, and foreign varieties, were sown in early June 2024 at the Yulin Minor Grain Comprehensive Experimental Demonstration Station. Subsequently, the genetic diversity was analyzed according to 14 agronomic, 5 yield, and 3 grain traits. Significant phenotypic diversity was observed: agronomic trait diversity indices ranged from 0.15 to 2.10, with straw weight per plant showing the highest variation coefficients (60.03%). Yield traits exhibited diversity indices of 1.95-2.08 and variation coefficients of 14.94-37.37%. Grain traits had diversity indices exceeding 2, with the lowest variation coefficients (5.22-6.61%). Principal component analysis identified 4 key components, with tiller number and panicle length having the highest loading, leading to the selection of 10 superior germplasms. Cluster analysis grouped 1,582 samples into 5 categories, from which 147 representative germplasms were chosen. Then, 80 SSR primers were designed, 15 of which revealed polymorphism, confirming high genetic variation among these 147 germplasms. Varieties from Northwest China and Loess Plateau region showed the greater diversity. These findings provide a scientific foundation for the efficient utilization and breeding of proso millet germplasm resources.
Keywords: proso millet, Germplasm resources, SSR marker, genetic diversity, Genetic structure
Received: 18 Jun 2025; Accepted: 18 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lv, Yang, Hou, Yang, Cui, Zhang, Li, Yuan, Liu and Feng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Baili Feng, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang, China
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