Author(s): Supriya Ambawat, C Tara Satyavathi, Vikas Khandelwal, Rajbala Meena, RC Meena, Subaran Singh, Manoj Kumar and JP Bishnoi

Abstract: The most extensively grown millet, pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L). R Br.] has been a staple food crop for the poor people in Africa and the Indian subcontinent from prehistoric times. It is an excellent dryland crop which is well adapted for survival in the regions with harsh climatic conditions such as drought, high temperature, high salinity, low pH and poor soil fertility. In comparison to the other cereals like maize, wheat, rice and sorghum, it is rich in various nutrients, primarily iron and zinc and thus it is very important to eradicate malnutrition as well as ensure nutritional security. Hence, it is crucial to identify and validate genotypes rich in high iron and zinc in order to develop more cultivars rich in micronutrients. In this investigation, 103 markers were utilized for molecular characterization, screening and validation of 18 pearl millet hybrids and varieties that were rich in Fe and Zn. Out of these 103 SSRs, 84 primers amplified products with sizes ranging from 90 to 750 bp and 74 primers (71.8%) were reported to be polymorphic while 10 (9.7%) were monomorphic. A total of 246 alleles were reported in the present study and the number of alleles per locus ranged between 2 to 6 with an average of 3.32 alleles. The average Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) score was 0.59 with a range of 0.34 to 0.79. This research will be helpful in developing high Fe and Zn cultivars which may then further be utilized to confiscate malnutrition and hidden hunger.

DOI: 10.33545/26174693.2024.v8.i2g.612