Salej Sood – författare

Millets and Pseudo Cereals is the first comprehensive resource to focus on the potential crop improvements through genetic enhancements.

The choice of food crop for a region is primarily determined by the conditions of climate and soil. Once labelled as orphan crops, millets and pseudo-cereals are now known as miracle grains due to their adaptation to harsh conditions and high nutritional quality. Small millets and pseudo-cereals are now seen to occupy special niches through their ability to adapt to challenging conditions. These crops have a comparative advantage in marginal lands where they withstand stress conditions and contribute to sustainable production. They also contribute to the diversity-richness and production stability of agro-ecosystems. Millets include sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, little millet and kodo millet while the other group which are not cereals but consumed as cereals and generally referred as pseudo-cereals comprises of grain amaranths, buckwheat and chenopods.

Millets and Pseudo Cereals presents current information on the genetic architecture of important economic traits and the genomic resources for gene enabled breeding. This compilation contains information on the global status, available germplasm resources, nutritional value, breeding advancements, genomics applications and sustainability of agriculture through millets and pseudo-cereals cultivation.

This book is a valuable resource for those conducting research and exploring new areas for advancing crop genetic understanding.

This book is the first comprehensive compilation of deliberations on domestication, genetic and genomic resources, breeding, genetic diversity, molecular maps & mapping of important biotic stress as well as nutritional quality traits, genome sequencing, comparative genomics, functional genomics and genetic transformation. The economic, nutritional and health benefits especially antioxidants mediated antiaging effects of finger millet are also discussed. It also presents the input use efficiency, wide adaptation, post-harvest processing and value addition of the crop. Altogether, the book contains about 300 pages over 16 chapters authored by globally reputed experts on the relevant field in this crop. This book is useful to the students, teachers and scientists in the academia and relevant private companies interested in genetics, pathology, molecular genetics and breeding, genetic engineering, structural and functional genomics and nutritional quality aspects of the crop. This bookis also useful to seed and pharmaceutical industries.

This book on minor millets provides a detailed account of their crop biology, agronomy, genetics, breeding, genomic resources, production constraints and value addition. The potential of minor millets in addressing food and nutritional insecurities is well-recognized. Government of India declared millets as “Shree Anna” as they are a powerhouse of nutrients and possess strong climate-resilience properties. Minor millet species, such as finger millet, foxtail millet, barnyard millet, little millet, proso millet, kodo millet, fonio millet, and teff, are the oldest-cultivated crops that are used for both food and fodder in semi-arid regions of Asia and Africa. In the recent times, they have become important due to their unparalleled nutritional profile, recognized nutraceutical properties, versatile environmental adaptability, and ability to flourish in low input agriculture and organic cultivation. However, their cultivation and consumption are declining due to lack of awareness and unavailability of literature to a broad range of audience.

This book serves as reference material for researchers and students engaged in genetic improvement, biochemistry, processing, and value addition of minor millets.