Diversity and Utilization Status of Millets Genetic Resources in Nepal

Millet is the group of small seeded cereal crops. Major millets grown in Nepal are finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.], proso millet [Panicum miliaceum L.] and foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P.Beauv.]. Besides, barn yard millet [Echinochloa frumentacea Link], sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], pearl millet [Pennisetum typhoides (Burm.f.) Stapf & C.E.Hubb.Hubb.] etc are also grown. Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. and Eleusine africana Kenn.-O'Byrne are the two wild forms that have been reported their existence in Nepal. Millets are under-utilized but important food crops for rural poor farming communities living under subsistence and marginal environments in the Hills of Nepal. They are also known as Himalayan Super-foods due to their nutrient-dense nature. Five varieties of finger millets namely Okhle-1, Dalle-1, Kabre kodo-1, Kabre kodo-2 and Sailung kodo-1 have been released so far from Hill Crops Research Program (HCRP) but no varieties of other millet species have been released in the country. Finger millet is the 4th most important crop of Nepal after rice, maize and wheat in terms of area and production and it occupies an average of 7.9% (268,050 ha) of the total area covered by cereal crops and accounts for 3.3% (308,488 mt) of total cereal production. Major finger millet producing districts of the country are Khotang, Sindhupalchok, Baglung, Syangja, Kaski, Gorkha and Sindhuli. National Agriculture Genetic Resources Centre (NAGRC) holds more than 850 finger millet genetic resources in medium and long term conservation. Less utilization of local genetic resources conserved in genebank for crop improvement program is evident due to lack of information about the desirable accessions in the genebank resulting from the poor characterization and evaluation data. Great intra-specific diversity has been observed in finger millet. Proso millet has two popular types of landraces: Dudhe and Hade. Nepali genebank holds 51 accessions of proso millet, 55 accessions of foxtail millet, 15 ...