TITLE:
Innovation of the New Superior Quality Foxtail Millet [Setaria italica (L.) P.Beauv] Variety-Jigu32 with Characteristics of Stress Resistance, Stable and High Yield and Its Physiological Mechanism
AUTHORS:
Suying Li, Shengjun An, Zhengli Liu, Ruhong Cheng, Zhijun Wang
KEYWORDS:
Foxtail Millet; Stable Yield; High Yield; Breed; Physiological Mechanism
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.5 No.4,
March
21,
2014
ABSTRACT:
In main foxtail millet growing regions of China,
natural disasters happen frequently, causing losses in production and finance.
Therefore, it is urgently needed to breed new superior quality foxtail millet
varieties with stress resistance, stable and high production, and, so as to stabilize millet
production and promote millet industry development. Jigu32, a new foxtail
millet variety with stable, high-yield and superior
qualities, was developed using
Target Character Gene Bank breeding method, and its physiological mechanism was
studied as well. Results showed that the prominent characteristics of Jigu32 were
as follows: 1) strong stress
resistance and stable yielding; 2) high yielding; 3) rich calcium content
and superior qualities; 4) excellent comprehensive
characteristics. In 2010 National Foxtail Millet Regional Trials, the weather
was tough. Severe drought occurred in some experimental stations while in some
others, continuous rain, low
temperature and little sunlight appeared. However, with the outstanding stress
resistance, Jigu32 achieved the highest yields, and the yields were very stable
under different conditions. Per unit yield of Jigu32 reached to5133.3 kg/hm2, which was the
highest in the trials, increasing 9.42% compared with the controls. Calcium
content of Jigu32 was 121 mg/kg in the grain, and the taste, nutrition and
commodity qualities were optimal. Therefore, Jigu32 was
rated as the national secondary superior quality foxtail millet. The study
showed that the physiological mechanism of Jigu32’s merits was based on the improved activities of
peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), 6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH),
glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamic dehydrogenase (GDH), and on its higher
absorption ability and conversion efficiency of N, P, K. POD, SOD and G6PDH of Jigu32 were more active in
each development phase, leading to higher resistance to adversity and aging; glutamine
synthetase (GS) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) of Jigu32 were
more active, resulting in higher assimilation and transformation ability of
nutrients. It is of great significance to promote the development of Jigu32,
and it will be beneficial to sustainable, stable agricultural development, and thus orderly and stably boost the development of the
millet industry in our country. The research on its physiological mechanism of
stable and high yielding will provide theoretical support while breeding new
stable and high-yield foxtail millet
varieties later.