An Upliftment Strategy for Little Millet Improvement by Unravelling the Hidden Molecular Network Behind Its Miracle Properties

Nature has provided us with plenty of plant species which serve as the reservoir of highly essential nutrients. The dietary benefits of small millets have been forcefully forgotten by the dominance of major cereals. Nowadays, such orphan cereals are again blooming since people have begun realizing the importance of nutraceutical and its beneficial health properties. Each of the small millets has its own unique nutritional benefits and climate-resilient properties. Little millet is one among them. Little millet, a nutricereal, is known for its unique nutritional traits because of the presence of GABA, carotenoids, tocopherols and phenolic compounds. Besides this, little millet is fairly rich in Fe and Ca. It also has antidiabetic and antioxidant properties. Phenotypically, little millet has good drought tolerance ability with wider adaptability. Little is known about the crop and subjecting the crop to crop improvement programme needs more understanding of the crop. Hence, the genetic and molecular basis of its adaptation traits and nature of climate resilience need to be explored further to utilise the maximum potential of this crop. It is also imperative to utilise the advanced biotechnological tools available to make crop improvement programmes smart and efficient.