Exploring the nutritional and antioxidant diversity in foxtail millet genotypes from Uttarakhand Himalayan landraces and improved cultivars

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is an unexplored and important small millet well known for its nutritional and functional benefits, making it suitable for marginal and rainfed environments. However, there is limited information regarding the nutritional and antioxidant diversity among the indigenous Himalayan germplasm. This study aimed to assess variability, identify nutritionally superior genotypes, and quantify genetic diversity. A total of 22 genotypes collected from various agro-climatic regions of India were evaluated over 2 years, using RBD in the field and CRD in the laboratory. Seed samples were analyzed for various physio-functional, nutrient, and antioxidant traits. ANOVA revealed a highly significant difference among the genotypes for several traits, including moisture content, swelling power, water-holding capacity, carbohydrates, proteins, starch, iron, ascorbic acid, total antioxidant capacity, DPPH, FRAP, hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity, dehydrogenase activity, and tannin content, with a p-value of ≤ 0.001 indicating wide genetic variability among the genotypes. A strong negative correlation was observed between moisture content and other health-promoting traits. Multivariate analysis involved hierarchical cluster analysis and PCA. The PCA highlighted that the first two PCs contributed 40% variability. Genotypes FMP-6, FMP-5, FMU-1, FMR-2, FMC-1, and FMA-1 emerged as nutritionally superior, exhibiting higher levels of protein, carbohydrates, iron, vitamin C, and antioxidant activity. Additionally, FMC-1, FMU-1, and FMC-2 demonstrated better physico-functional characteristics and are suitable candidates for developing functional foods. Utilizing these nutrient-rich genotypes can enhance nutritional security while promoting greater acceptance for functional food crops and biofortification programs.