Genetic diversity and phylogeography of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceumL.) across Eurasia
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Non-human plant population genetics research (CEBM Level 5 by analogy)
OpenAlex W1553257705 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2011.05318.x
What was done
Genotyped 98 landrace accessions of broomcorn millet (*Panicum miliaceum* L.) sampled across Eurasia using 16 microsatellite loci to assess genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure.
What was found
The primary genetic division split accessions into an eastern group and a western group, with a boundary roughly located in northwestern China. Notably, several accessions genetically assigned to the western group were detected in northeastern China. Higher-resolution clustering separated the western and eastern genepools into 2 and 4 distinct geographic clusters, respectively. The abstract reports no numerical genetic diversity indices or statistical values. The authors noted the genetic findings remain consistent with both single-centre and multiple-centre domestication models.
Why it matters
Broomcorn millet represents one of the earliest domesticated cereals in both East Asia and eastern Europe; defining its genetic structure provides a framework for tracing early agricultural transmission across prehistoric Central Asia.
Limits
The study is based on a relatively small panel of 98 landraces evaluated with only 16 microsatellite markers across the entirety of Eurasia. The genetic data cannot resolve whether domestication occurred once or multiple times, and discrepancies remain between genetic predictions and the archaeobotanical record.
Cited by
- contradicts Millet was the first husbanded crop in the Fertile Crescent.