Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is an important C4 minor cereal crop in northern China, characterized by strong adaptability such as tolerance to drought and infertile soils. Its wild relatives harbor abundant genetic diversity and constitute an important gene pool for broadening the genetic base of cultivated foxtail millet and for breeding new cultivars with improved stress tolerance, high yield, and superior quality. Focusing on the domestication and utilization of foxtail millet and its wild relatives, we integrate archaeological and genetic evidence to summarize the origin and domestication trajectory of foxtail millet in northern China, highlighting the evolution of key domestication-related traits.Integrating recent progress in both traditional morphology and molecular phylogenetics,we elaborate on the classification of genome types within the genus Setaria and its value for resolving phylogenetic relationships among related taxa. Furthermore,we summarize the current conservation and utilization status of germplasm resources for foxtail millet and its wild relatives, noting that China has a distinct advantage in the overall number of conserved accessions,the international coverage of the resources, as well as the representativeness and depth of characterization for wild relatives, still need to be strengthened. Finally, in light of advances in genetic linkage mapping/QTL and GWAS, studies on stress tolerance and quality traits, as well as developments in transformation systems, genome editing, and molecular breeding, we discuss the potential applications of wild relatives of foxtail millet in germplasm innovation and breeding. This review provides a reference for the systematic mining of favorable genes from wild relatives of foxtail millet and their efficient utilization in breeding programs.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |