Generation Mean Analysis Reveals the Predominant Gene Effects for Grain Iron and Zinc Contents in Pearl Millet.

Pearl millet [ (L.) R. Br.

Genome-wide association study uncovers genomic regions associated with grain iron, zinc and protein content in pearl millet.

Pearl millet hybrids biofortified with iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) promise to be part of a long-term strategy to combat micronutrient malnutrition in the arid and semi-arid tropical (SAT) regions of the world. Biofortification through molecular breeding is the way forward to achieving a rapid trait-based breeding strategy. This genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to identify significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) for Fe, Zn, and protein content (PC) for enhanced biofortification breeding.