What do you think we should call "little" millet? Thank you Don for alerting us to new genetic developments of little millet. Outside this correspondence community, "little" millet discussions can be extremely confusing. Foxtail millet seeds are a third the size of proso, and proso is considered a small seed. "Little" millet has even smaller seed than foxtail. We need nomenclature so the public can identify different millets. Proso, although an odd word, seems appropriate. Foxtail millets, I suggest, we should refer to as "Italian" millets taken from the Latin name, Setaria italica. (German R is a commonly planted variety, but calling foxtail millet "German" millet would be even more confusing.) Since "little" millets have at least nine different names, in various languages seven begin with "S." They are Shavan, Sama, Saamai, Samalu, Sava, Suan, Saame, and I might as well throw in the Malayalam "Chama" (which could sound like and "S"). Therefore, I propose we standardize an English name for "little" millet beginning with the letter "S." Topic is open to all. What do you think we should call "little" millet?....Gary Wietgrefe On Sun, Feb 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM <collab-request@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
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Today's Topics:
1. Mapping little millet's genome - recent milestone (Don Osborn)
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Message: 1 Date: Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:38:12 -0500 From: Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org> Subject: [Collab] Mapping little millet's genome - recent milestone To: "NAMA's Collab list" <collab@lists.millets2023.space> Message-ID: <CA+RHibUHYRkzweJ_5cVd= 0u_cgfPP_+XqpjDig3J0FoEwhsKSA@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
A near-complete genome of little millet (Panicum sumatrense) has been decoded by an Indo-Canadian team led by the ICAR - Indian Institute of Millets Research's Global Centre of Excellence on Millets.
Little millet is an allotetraploid, like its cousin, proso or broomcorn millet (P. miliaceum), meaning that it has two sets of chromosomes. That evolution would have long predated its domestication, which occurred prior to the Early Harappan period in the Indus valley region some 5000 years ago.
Here are links to two descriptions of the little millet genome work, and to the research article on which they are based: * "Genome map of little millet paves way for nutrient-rich climate-resilient crops," Nature India, 30 Nov. 2025 https://www.nature.com/articles/d44151-025-00224-w * "ICAR with International Collaboration Releases First Chromosome-Scale Genome of Little Millet, Unlocking New Era in Climate-Smart Millet Improvement," ICAR, n.d.,
https://icar.org.in/en/icar-international-collaboration-releases-first-chrom... * Gali, K.K., Koh, K.C., Satyavathi, T.C., et al. "Little millet genome reveals evolutionary insights into tetraploid structure and genetic basis of micronutrient density." Nature Communications17, 74 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66716-6
Abstract from the research article:
"Little millet is a hardy and nutrient-rich cereal which improves food and nutritional security in marginal environments. Despite its importance, genomic resources for this orphan crop have been limited. Here, we report a high quality, chromosome-scale genome assembly of little millet comprising 18 chromosomes and 59,045 genes. Eleven chromosomes are assembled from telomere to telomere, revealing an 850 Mb tetraploid genome that closely resembles broomcorn millet. Comparative analyses indicate early stages of diploidization, characterized by gene loss and subgenome-specific expression biases that vary across genes and tissues. Resequencing of 300 accessions uncovers extensive genetic diversity, including single-nucleotide polymorphism and structural variants. Genome-wide association studies identify genetic loci linked to grain micronutrient traits, including several associated with high iron content. These genomic and phenotypic resources provide a foundation for molecular breeding and marker-assisted selection, enabling the improvement of little millet as a climate-resilient crop to support global food and nutritional security."
Other institutional partners in the research include University of Saskatchewan, National Research Council Canada / Conseil national de recherches Canada, and University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.
The full list of contributing authors to the research article: Krishna Kishore Gali, Kevin C. Koh, Tara Chellapilla Satyavathi, Ganapathy Kuyyamudi Nanaiah, K. B. Palanna, Morgan W. Kirzinger, Sandeep Nanjundappa, Sampath Perumal, Deekshitha Bomireddy, H. B. Mahesh, Harshal Eknath Patil, Raju Chaudhary, Loveleen Kaur Dhillon, Venkat Bandi, V. B. Reddy Lachagari, Surya Teja Veeramachaneni, Renuka Malipatil, Peng Gao, Shankar Pahari, Andrew G. Sharpe, Thomas D. Warkentin, Raju Soolanayakanahally, M. K. Prasannakumar, Nepolean Thirunavukkarasu & Sateesh Kagale
Little millet is NAMA's millet-of-the-month in February.
Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance
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End of Collab Digest, Vol 49, Issue 4 *************************************
-- Author, Gary W. Wietgrefe, https://www.RelatingtoAncients.com/ Enjoy Wietgrefe's (pronounced "wit' grif") dozen books, patents, and international research on millets, agronomy, cultural changes, travel adventure, poetry, and history.