Pearl milletPearl millet is a crucial cereal crop supporting around 90 million people and is cultivated over approximately 30 million ha, with India playing a major role, especially RajasthanRajasthan, which accounts for 45% of the country’s production. Its remarkable tolerance to droughtDrought, poor soils, and high temperaturesTemperature makes it a key crop for ensuring food and nutritional securityNutritional security in arid and semi-arid regionsSemi-arid regions. During 2020–21, India cultivated pearl milletPearl millet on 7.41 million ha, producing 9.35 million tons with an average productivity of 1391 kg/ha. As a C4 plant, pearl milletPearl millet offers high fiber content and is rich in essential minerals, including iron (42 ppm) and zinc (32 ppm), making it a gluten-free, diabetic-friendly nutri-cereal included in India’s Public DistributionDistribution System and recognized globally during the 2023 International Year of Millets. Originating from Africa’s Sahel region, the domesticationDomestication of pearl milletPearl millet involved a monophyletic reduction in genetic diversity, retaining around 81% of wild alleles. Modern breeding innovations, particularly cytoplasmic male sterilityCytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) systems such as Tift 23A, have facilitated the development of hybrids, with 83 new hybrids released since 2010, improving yield, droughtDrought resilience, and disease resistanceDisease resistance. The application of genomic toolsGenomic tools, including marker-assisted selectionMarker-assisted selection and QTL mapping, has further enhanced traits like drought toleranceDrought tolerance and nutritional quality, achieving iron concentrations up to 91 ppm and zinc up to 46 ppm in varieties such as AHB 1269. These developments underscore pearl millet’sPearl millet critical role in sustainable agricultureSustainable agriculture, offering solutions to malnutrition and climate-related challenges for resource-limited farmers.