<p>Browntop millet (<i>Urochloa ramosa</i> L.), is traditionally cultivated in Southern India and it was remained as underutilized crop for very long period. On the basis of its high fiber and protein content browntop millet is receiving interest among scientific community. Dearth of genomic resources is one of the vital constrain for genetic improvement. The study evaluated the cross transferability of finger millet SSR primers in browntop millet and genetic variation among 27 browntop millet genotypes. For preliminary evaluation, 100 SSR primers of finger millet were screened against 2 browntop millet genotypes. Among 100 SSR primers 30 were successfully amplified in 2 browntop millet genotypes and they were subsequently screened on 27 browntop millet genotypes. About 25% of Cross species transferability was observed in browntop millet i.e., 25 primers were amplified in all 27 browntop millet genotypes in which 1 was mono-nucleotide, 11 were di-nucleotide and 13 were tri-nucleotide repeats, where tri-nucleotide motif being ubiquitous. 0.00 to 068 is the range of polymorphic information content which delineate moderate degree of polymorphism. Major allele frequency varied between 0.40 and 1.00, number of alleles differs across 1 to 5 and genetic diversity differs across 0.00 to 0.72. 27 genotypes were grouped using cluster analysis derived from Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Average method by combing both morphological and molecular data, where 27 genotypes were grouped into two primary clusters. Results illustrate that SSR markers can be used for cross species transferability to uncover the genetic diversity in browntop millet. This strategy lays a foundation for targeted breeding aimed for improving of underexploited crop.</p>