Developing a Mini-Core Collection in Finger Millet Using Multilocation Data

Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.], among small millets, is the most important food crop in some parts of Asia and Africa. The grains are a rich source of protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. A core collection of 622 accessions was developed. The aim of this study was to develop a mini-core collection using multilocational evaluation data of the core collection. Six hundred and twenty-two accessions together with six controls (four common and two location-specific) were evaluated for 20 morphological descriptors at five agroecologically diverse locations in India during the 2008 rainy season. The experiment was conducted in α design with two replications at Patancheru and in augmented design with one of the six controls repeated after every nine-test entry at other locations. The hierarchical cluster analysis of data using phenotypic distances resulted in 40 clusters. From each cluster, ∼10% or a minimum of 1 accession was selected to form a mini-core, which was comprised of 80 accessions. The comparison of means, variances, frequency distribution, Shannon–Weaver diversity index (H′), and phenotypic correlations revealed that the mini-core captured the entire diversity of the core collection. This mini-core collection is an ideal pool of diverse germplasm for identifying new sources of variation and enhancing the genetic potential of finger millet.