Finger millet: a hero in the making to combat food insecurity.

Climate change and population growth pose challenges to food security. Major crops such as maize, wheat, and rice are expected to face yield reductions due to warming in the coming years, highlighting the need for incorporating climate-resilient crops in agricultural production systems. Finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn) is a nutritious cereal crop adapted to arid regions that could serve as an alternative crop for sustaining the food supply in low rainfall environments where other crops routinely fail. Despite finger millet's nutritional qualities and climate resilience, it is deemed an "orphan crop," neglected by researchers compared to major crops, which has hampered breeding efforts. However, in recent years, finger millet has entered the genomics era. Next-generation sequencing resources, including a chromosome-scale genome assembly, have been developed to support trait characterization. This review discusses the current genetic and genomic resources available for finger millet while addressing the gaps in knowledge and tools that are still needed to aid breeders in bringing finger millet to its full production potential.

Enhancing rice growth and yield with weed endophytic bacteria Alcaligenes faecalis and Metabacillus indicus under reduced chemical fertilization.

Endophytic bacteria, recognized as eco-friendly biofertilizers, have demonstrated the potential to enhance crop growth and yield. While the plant growth-promoting effects of endophytic bacteria have been extensively studied, the impact of weed endophytes remains less explored. In this study, we aimed to isolate endophytic bacteria from native weeds and assess their plant growth-promoting abilities in rice under varying chemical fertilization. The evaluation encompassed measurements of mineral phosphate and potash solubilization, as well as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production activity by the selected isolates. Two promising strains, tentatively identified as Alcaligenes faecalis (BTCP01) from Eleusine indica (Goose grass) and Metabacillus indicus (BTDR03) from Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) based on 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, exhibited noteworthy phosphate and potassium solubilization activity, respectively. BTCP01 demonstrated superior phosphate solubilizing activity, while BTDR03 exhibited the highest potassium (K) solubilizing activity. Both isolates synthesized IAA in the presence of L-tryptophan, with the detection of nifH and ipdC genes in their genomes. Application of isolates BTCP01 and BTDR03 through root dipping and spraying at the flowering stage significantly enhanced the agronomic performance of rice variety CV. BRRI dhan29. Notably, combining both strains with 50% of recommended N, P, and K fertilizer doses led to a substantial increase in rice grain yields compared to control plants receiving 100% of recommended doses. Taken together, our results indicate that weed endophytic bacterial strains BTCP01 and BTDR03 hold promise as biofertilizers, potentially reducing the dependency on chemical fertilizers by up to 50%, thereby fostering sustainable rice production.

Goosegrass Detection in Strawberry and Tomato Using a Convolutional Neural Network.

Goosegrass is a problematic weed species in Florida vegetable plasticulture production. To reduce costs associated with goosegrass control, a post-emergence precision applicator is under development for use atop the planting beds. To facilitate in situ goosegrass detection and spraying, tiny- You Only Look Once 3 (YOLOv3-tiny) was evaluated as a potential detector. Two annotation techniques were evaluated: (1) annotation of the entire plant (EP) and (2) annotation of partial sections of the leaf blade (LB). For goosegrass detection in strawberry, the F-score was 0.75 and 0.85 for the EP and LB derived networks, respectively. For goosegrass detection in tomato, the F-score was 0.56 and 0.65 for the EP and LB derived networks, respectively. The LB derived networks increased recall at the cost of precision, compared to the EP derived networks. The LB annotation method demonstrated superior results within the context of production and precision spraying, ensuring more targets were sprayed with some over-spraying on false targets. The developed network provides online, real-time, and in situ detection capability for weed management field applications such as precision spraying and autonomous scouts.

Silicon amendment induces synergistic plant defense mechanism against pink stem borer (Sesamia inferens Walker.) in finger millet (Eleusine coracana Gaertn.).

Silicon (Si) uptake and accumulation in plants can mitigate various biotic stresses through enhanced plant resistance against wide range of herbivores. But the role of silicon in defense molecular mechanism still remains to be elucidated in finger millet. In the present study, we identified three silicon transporter genes viz. EcLsi1, EcLsi2, and EcLsi6 involved in silicon uptake mechanism. In addition, the study also identified and characterized ten different Si transporters genes from finger millet through transcriptome assembly. The phylogenetic study revealed that EcLsi1 and EcLsi6 are homologs while EcLsi2 and EcLsi3 form another pair of homologs. EcLsi1 and EcLsi6 belong to family of NIP2s (Nod26-like major intrinsic protein), bona fide silicon transporters, whereas EcLsi2 and EcLsi3, an efflux Si transporter, belong to an uncharacterized anion transporter family having a significant identity with putative arsB transporter proteins. Further, the phylogenetic and topology analysis suggest that EcLsi1 and EcLsi2 co-evolved during evolution while, EcLsi2 and EcLsi3 are evolved from either EcLsi1 and/or EcLsi6 by fusion or duplication event. Moreover, these silicon transporters are predicted to be localized in plasma membrane, but their structural differences indicate that they might have differences in their silicon uptake ability. Silicon amendment induces the synergistic defense mechanism by significantly increasing the transcript level of silicon transporter genes (EcLsi1, EcLsi2 and EcLsi6) as well as defense hormone regulating genes (EcSAM, EcPAL and EcLOX) at 72 hpi (hours of post infestation) in both stem and roots compared to non-silicon treated plants against pink stem borer in finger millet plants. This study will help to understand the molecular defense mechanism for developing strategies for insect pest management.

Combined effects of rhizo-competitive rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere Bacillus in plant growth promotion and yield improvement of Eleusine coracana (Ragi).

This study emphasizes the beneficial role of rhizo-competitive Bacillus spp. isolated from rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric soil in plant growth promotion and yield improvement via nitrogen fixation and biocontrol of Sclerotium rolfsii causing foot rot disease in Eleusine coracana (Ragi). The selection of potent rhizobacteria was based on plant-growth-promoting attributes using Venn set diagram and Bonitur scale. Bacillus pumilus MSTA8 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MSTD26 were selected because they were effective in root colonization, rhizosphere competence, and biofilm formation using root exudates of E. coracana L. rich with carbohydrates, proteins, and amino acids. The relative chemotaxis index of the isolates expressed the invasive behavior of the rhizosphere. During pot and field trials, the consortium of the rhizobacteria in a vermiculite carrier increased the grain yield by 37.87%, with a significant harvest index of 16.45. Soil analysis after the field trial revealed soil reclamation potentials to manage soil nutrition and fertility. Both indexes ensured crop protection and production in eco-safe ways and herald commercialization of Bacillus bio-inoculant for improvement in crop production and disease management of E. coracana.

Phenomics and genomics of finger millet: current status and future prospects.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Diverse gene pool, advanced plant phenomics and genomics methods enhanced genetic gain and understanding of important agronomic, adaptation and nutritional traits in finger millet. Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn) is an important minor millet for food and nutritional security in semi-arid regions of the world. The crop has wide adaptability and can be grown right from high hills in Himalayan region to coastal plains. It provides food grain as well as palatable straw for cattle, and is fairly climate resilient. The crop has large gene pool with distinct features of both Indian and African germplasm types. Interspecific hybridization between Indian and African germplasm has resulted in greater yield enhancement and disease resistance. The crop has shown numerous advantages over major cereals in terms of stress adaptation, nutritional quality and health benefits. It has indispensable repository of novel genes for the benefits of mankind. Although rapid strides have been made in allele mining in model crops and major cereals, the progress in finger millet genomics is lacking. Comparative genomics have paved the way for the marker-assisted selection, where resistance gene homologues of rice for blast and sequence variants for nutritional traits from other cereals have been invariably used. Transcriptomics studies have provided preliminary understanding of the nutritional variation, drought and salinity tolerance. However, the genetics of many important traits in finger millet is poorly understood and need systematic efforts from biologists across disciplines. Recently, deciphered finger millet genome will enable identification of candidate genes for agronomically and nutritionally important traits. Further, improvement in genome assembly and application of genomic selection as well as genome editing in near future will provide plethora of information and opportunity to understand the genetics of complex traits.

Application of Copper-Chitosan Nanoparticles Stimulate Growth and Induce Resistance in Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana Gaertn.) Plants against Blast Disease.

Copper-chitosan nanoparticle (CuChNp) was synthesized and used to study its effect on finger millet plant as a model plant system. Our objective was to explore the efficacy of CuChNp application to control blast disease of finger millet. CuChNp was applied to finger millet either as a foliar spray or as a combined application (involving seed coat and foliar spray). Both the application methods enhanced growth profile of finger millet plants and increased yield. The increased yield was nearly 89% in combined application method. Treated finger millet plants challenged with Pyricularia grisea showed suppression of blast disease development when compared to control. Nearly 75% protection was observed in the combined application of CuChNp to finger millet plants. In CuChNp treated finger millet plants, a significant increase in defense enzymes was observed, which was detected both qualitatively and quantitatively. The suppression of blast disease correlates well with increased defense enzymes in CuChNp treated finger millet plants.

The membrane tethered transcription factor EcbZIP17 from finger millet promotes plant growth and enhances tolerance to abiotic stresses.

The occurrence of various stresses, as the outcome of global climate change, results in the yield losses of crop plants. Prospecting of genes in stress tolerant plant species may help to protect and improve their agronomic performance. Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is a valuable source of superior genes and alleles for stress tolerance. In this study, we isolated a novel endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane tethered bZIP transcription factor from finger millet, EcbZIP17. Transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing this gene showed better vegetative growth and seed yield compared with wild type (WT) plants under optimal growth conditions and confirmed upregulation of brassinosteroid signalling genes. Under various abiotic stresses, such as 250 mM NaCl, 10% PEG6000, 400 mM mannitol, water withdrawal, and heat stress, the transgenic plants showed higher germination rate, biomass, primary and secondary root formation, and recovery rate, compared with WT plants. The transgenic plants exposed to an ER stress inducer resulted in greater leaf diameter and plant height as well as higher expression of the ER stress-responsive genes BiP, PDIL, and CRT1. Overall, our results indicated that EcbZIP17 improves plant growth at optimal conditions through brassinosteroid signalling and provide tolerance to various environmental stresses via ER signalling pathways.

Tracing QTLs for Leaf Blast Resistance and Agronomic Performance of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.) Genotypes through Association Mapping and in silico Comparative Genomics Analyses.

Finger millet is one of the small millets with high nutritive value. This crop is vulnerable to blast disease caused by Pyricularia grisea, which occurs annually during rainy and winter seasons. Leaf blast occurs at early crop stage and is highly damaging. Mapping of resistance genes and other quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for agronomic performance can be of great use for improving finger millet genotypes. Evaluation of one hundred and twenty-eight finger millet genotypes in natural field conditions revealed that leaf blast caused severe setback on agronomic performance for susceptible genotypes, most significant traits being plant height and root length. Plant height was reduced under disease severity while root length was increased. Among the genotypes, IE4795 showed superior response in terms of both disease resistance and better agronomic performance. A total of seven unambiguous QTLs were found to be associated with various agronomic traits including leaf blast resistance by association mapping analysis. The markers, UGEP101 and UGEP95, were strongly associated with blast resistance. UGEP98 was associated with tiller number and UGEP9 was associated with root length and seed yield. Cross species validation of markers revealed that 12 candidate genes were associated with 8 QTLs in the genomes of grass species such as rice, foxtail millet, maize, Brachypodium stacei, B. distachyon, Panicum hallii and switchgrass. Several candidate genes were found proximal to orthologous sequences of the identified QTLs such as 1,4-ß-glucanase for leaf blast resistance, cytokinin dehydrogenase (CKX) for tiller production, calmodulin (CaM) binding protein for seed yield and pectin methylesterase inhibitor (PMEI) for root growth and development. Most of these QTLs and their putatively associated candidate genes are reported for first time in finger millet. On validation, these novel QTLs may be utilized in future for marker assisted breeding for the development of fungal resistant and high yielding varieties of finger millet.

Growth in Turface® clay permits root hair phenotyping along the entire crown root in cereal crops and demonstrates that root hair growth can extend well beyond the root hair zone.

In cereal crops, root hairs are reported to function within the root hair zone to carry out important roles in nutrient and water absorption. Nevertheless, these single cells remain understudied due to the practical challenges of phenotyping these delicate structures in large cereal crops growing on soil or other growth systems. Here we present an alternative growth system for examining the root hairs of cereal crops: the use of coarse Turface® clay alongside fertigation. This system allowed for root hairs to be easily visualized along the entire lengths of crown roots in three different cereal crops (maize, wheat, and finger millet). Surprisingly, we observed that the root hairs in these crops continued to grow beyond the canonical root hair zone, with the most root hair growth occurring on older crown root segments. We suggest that the Turface® fertigation system may permit a better understanding of the changing dynamics of root hairs as they age in large plants, and may facilitate new avenues for crop improvement below ground. However, the relevance of this system to field conditions must be further evaluated in other crops.

Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn].

Millets are the primary food source for millions of people in tropical regions of the world supplying mineral nutrition and protein. In this chapter, we describe an optimized protocol for the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of finger millet variety GPU 45. Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 harboring plasmid pCAMBIA1301 which contains hygromycin phosphotransferase (hph) as selectable marker gene and ß-glucuronidase (GUS) as reporter gene has been used. This protocol utilizes the shoot apex explants for the somatic embryogenesis and regeneration of finger millet after the transformation by Agrobacterium. Desiccation of explants during cocultivation helps for the better recovery of transgenic plants. This protocol is very useful for the efficient production of transgenic plants in finger millet through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

The extent of variation in salinity tolerance of the minicore collection of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.) germplasm.

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.) ranks third in production among the dry land cereals. It is widely cultivated in Africa and South Asia where soil salinization is a major production constraint. It is a potential crop for salt affected soils. To identify salt tolerant germplasm, the minicore finger millet germplasm (n=80) was screened for grain yield performance in a soil saturated with NaCl solution of 100 or 125mM. Genotype effect was significant for most traits, while salinity×genotype interaction was significant only in one year. Salinity delayed phenology, marginally reduced shoot biomass and grain yield. There was a large range of genotypic variation in grain yield under salinity and other traits. The yield loss was higher in accessions with prolific growth and yield potential was associated with saline yields. Based on saline yields, accessions were grouped in to four groups and the top tolerant group had 22 accessions with IE 4797 remaining at the top. Salinity had no adverse impact on grain yield of five accessions. Root anatomy in selected genotype of pearl and finger millet showed presence of porous cortex and well fortified endodermis in finger millet that can exclude Na(+) and enhance N absorption.

Transcriptional expression analysis of genes involved in regulation of calcium translocation and storage in finger millet (Eleusine coracana L. Gartn.).

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) variably accumulates calcium in different tissues, due to differential expression of genes involved in uptake, translocation and accumulation of calcium. Ca(2+)/H(+) antiporter (CAX1), two pore channel (TPC1), CaM-stimulated type IIB Ca(2+) ATPase and two CaM dependent protein kinase (CaMK1 and 2) homologs were studied in finger millet. Two genotypes GP-45 and GP-1 (high and low calcium accumulating, respectively) were used to understand the role of these genes in differential calcium accumulation. For most of the genes higher expression was found in the high calcium accumulating genotype. CAX1 was strongly expressed in the late stages of spike development and could be responsible for accumulating high concentrations of calcium in seeds. TPC1 and Ca(2+) ATPase homologs recorded strong expression in the root, stem and developing spike and signify their role in calcium uptake and translocation, respectively. Calmodulin showed strong expression and a similar expression pattern to the type IIB ATPase in the developing spike only and indicating developing spike or even seed specific isoform of CaM affecting the activity of downstream target of calcium transportation. Interestingly, CaMK1 and CaMK2 had expression patterns similar to ATPase and TPC1 in various tissues raising a possibility of their respective regulation via CaM kinase. Expression pattern of 14-3-3 gene was observed to be similar to CAX1 gene in leaf and developing spike inferring a surprising possibility of CAX1 regulation through 14-3-3 protein. Our results provide a molecular insight for explaining the mechanism of calcium accumulation in finger millet.

[Obtaining the transgenic lines of finger millet Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn. With dinitroaniline resistance].

The current data is dedicated to the study of bioballistic and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of finger millet with the constructs carrying the mutant alpha-tubulin gene (TUAm 1), isolated from R-biotype goosegrass (Eleusine indica L.), for the decision of problem of dinitroaniline-resistance. It was found that 10 microM of trifluralin is optimal for the selection of transgene plants of finger millet. PCR analysis of transformed lines confirmed the transgene nature of plants. The analysis of seed of T1 oftransgene lines confirmed heterozygous character of inheritance of the resistance.

Novel Phl-producing genotypes of finger millet rhizosphere associated pseudomonads and assessment of their functional and genetic diversity.

Genetic diversity of phlD gene, an essential gene in the biosynthesis of 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol, was studied by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in 20 Phl-producing pseudomonads isolated from finger millet rhizosphere. RFLP analysis of phlD gene displayed three patterns with HaeIII and TaqI enzymes. phlD gene sequence closely correlated with RFLP results and revealed the existence of three new genotypes G, H and I. Further, the phylogenetic and concatenated sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA, rpoB, gyrB, rpoD genes supported the hypothesis that these genotypes G, H and I were different from reported genotypes A-F. In all phylogenetic studies, the genotype G formed a distant clade from the groups of Pseudomonas putida and P. aeruginosa (sensu strictu), but the groups H and I were closely related to P. aeruginosa/P. stutzeri group. The Phl-producing pseudomonads exhibited antagonistic activity against Pyricularia grisea (TN508), Gaeumannomyces graminis (DSM1463), Fusarium oxysporum (DSM62297), Xanthomonas campestris (DSM3586) and Erwinia persicina (HMGU155). In addition, these strains exhibited various plant growth-promoting traits. In conclusion, this study displays the existence of novel Phl-producing pseudomonads genotypes G, H and I from finger millet rhizosphere, which formed taxonomically outward phylogenetic lineage from the groups of P. putida and P. aeruginosa (sensu strictu).

Development and molecular characterization of genic molecular markers for grain protein and calcium content in finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.).

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn), holds immense agricultural and economic importance for its high nutraceuticals quality. Finger millets seeds are rich source of calcium and its proteins are good source of essential amino acids. In the present study, we developed 36 EST-SSR primers for the opaque2 modifiers and 20 anchored-SSR primers for calcium transporters and calmodulin for analysis of the genetic diversity of 103 finger millet genotypes for grain protein and calcium contents. Out of the 36 opaque2 modifiers primers, 15 were found polymorphic and were used for the diversity analysis. The highest PIC value was observed with the primer FMO2E33 (0.26), while the lowest was observed FMO2E27 (0.023) with an average value of 0.17. The gene diversity was highest for the primer FMO2E33 (0.33), however it was lowest for FMO2E27 (0.024) at average value of 0.29. The percentage polymorphism shown by opaque2 modifiers primers was 68.23%. The diversity analysis by calcium transporters and calmodulin based anchored SSR loci revealed that the highest PIC was observed with the primer FMCA8 (0.30) and the lowest was observed for FMCA5 (0.023) with an average value of 0.18. The highest gene diversity was observed for primer FMCA8 (0.37), while lowest for FMCA5 (0.024) at an average of 0.21. The opaque2 modifiers specific EST-SSRs could able to differentiate the finger millet genotypes into high, medium and low protein containing genotypes. However, calcium dependent candidate gene based EST-SSRs could broadly differentiate the genotypes based on the calcium content with a few exceptions. A significant negative correlation between calcium and protein content was observed. The present study resulted in identification of highly polymorphic primers (FMO2E30, FMO2E33, FMO2-18 and FMO2-14) based on the parameters such as percentage of polymorphism, PIC values, gene diversity and number of alleles.

Identification and characterization of RAPD-SCAR markers linked to glyphosate-susceptible and -resistant biotypes of Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn.

Eleusine indica is one of the most common weed species found in agricultural land worldwide. Although herbicide-glyphosate provides good control of the weed, its frequent uses has led to abundant reported cases of resistance. Hence, the development of genetic markers for quick detection of glyphosate-resistance in E. indica population is imperative for the control and management of the weed. In this study, a total of 14 specific random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were identified and two of the markers, namely S4R727 and S26R6976 were further sequence characterized. Sequence alignment revealed that marker S4R727 showing a 12-bp nucleotides deletion in resistant biotypes, while marker S26R6976 contained a 167-bp nucleotides insertion in the resistant biotypes. Based on these sequence differences, three pairs of new sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) primers were developed. The specificity of these primer pairs were further validated with genomic DNA extracted from ten individual plants of one glyphosate-susceptible and five glyphosate-resistant (R2, R4, R6, R8 and R11) populations. The resulting RAPD-SCAR markers provided the basis for assessing genetic diversity between glyphosate-susceptible and -resistant E. indica biotypes, as well for the identification of genetic locus link to glyphosate-resistance event in the species.

Fusarium verticillioides from finger millet in Uganda.

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is a subsistence crop grown in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Sub-continent. Fusarium species occurring on this crop have not been reported. Approximately 13% of the Fusarium isolates recovered from finger millet growing at three different locations in eastern Uganda belong to Fusarium verticillioides, and could produce up to 18,600 µg/g of total fumonisins when cultured under laboratory conditions. These strains are all genetically unique, based on AFLP analyses, and form fertile perithecia when crossed with the standard mating type tester strains for this species. All but one of the strains is female-fertile and mating-type segregates 13:20 Mat-1:Mat-2. Three new sequences of the gene encoding translation elongation factor 1-α were found within the population. These results indicate a potential health risk for infants who consume finger millet gruel as a weaning food, and are consistent with the hypothesis that F. verticillioides originated in Africa and not in the Americas, despite its widespread association with maize grown almost anywhere worldwide.

A somaclonal line SE7 of finger millet (Eleusine coracana) exhibits modified cytokinin homeostasis and increased grain yield.

The SE7 somaclonal line of finger millet (Eleusine coracana) achieved increased grain yield in field trials that apparently resulted from a higher number of inflorescences and seeds per plant, compared with the wild type. Levels of endogenous cytokinins, especially those of highly physiologically active iso-pentenyl adenine, were increased during early inflorescence development in SE7 plants. Transcript levels of cytokinin-degrading enzymes but not of a cytokinin-synthesizing enzyme were also decreased in young leaves, seedlings, and initiating inflorescences of SE7. These data suggest that attenuated degradation of cytokinins in SE7 inflorescences leads to higher cytokinin levels that stimulate meristem activity and result in production of more inflorescences. Gene expression was compared between SE7 and wild-type young inflorescences using the barley 12K cDNA array. The largest fraction of up-regulated genes in SE7 was related to transcription, translation, and cell proliferation, cell wall assembly/biosynthesis, and to growth regulation of young and meristematic tissues including floral formation. Other up-regulated genes were associated with protein and lipid degradation and mitochondrial energy production. Down-regulated genes were related to pathogen defence and stress response, primary metabolism, glycolysis, and the C:N balance. The results indicate a prolonged proliferation phase in SE7 young inflorescences characterized by up-regulated protein synthesis, cytokinesis, floral formation, and energy production. In contrast, wild-type inflorescences are similar to a more differentiated status characterized by regulated protein degradation, cell elongation, and defence/stress responses. It is concluded that attenuated degradation of cytokinins in SE7 inflorescences leads to higher cytokinin levels, which stimulate meristem activity, inflorescence formation, and seed set.

Spatial distribution pattern analysis of Dof1 transcription factor in different tissues of three Eleusine coracana genotypes differing in their grain colour, yield and photosynthetic efficiency.

In the present study Dof1 gene of finger millet was cloned and sequenced. In silico analysis reveals 61% identity with the Sorghum bicolor and 57% identity with the Oryza sativa Dof1 sequence. A comparative analysis of gene sequences from different crops and three finger millet genotypes {Brown (PRM-1), Golden (PRM-701) and White (PRM-801)} differing in grain colour, yield and photosynthetic efficiency showed a high degree of sequence identity of Dof1 sequence gene ranging from 22 to 70% as evident from distance matrix of the built phylogenetic tree showing two major clusters. A total of five conserved motifs were observed in Dof1 sequences of different cereals. Motif 1 with multilevel consensus sequence CKNCRRYWTKGGAMRNVPVG contains zinc finger Dof domain. Motif 3 and motif 5 contains protein kinase phosphorylation site. Motif 2 contains Dof domain and zinc finger N-glycosylation site while motif 4 is involved in Zinc finger type profiling. Further, we studied the spatial distribution of Dof1 gene in three vegetative tissues (root, stem and flag leaf) as well as four stages of developing spikes (S1, S2, S3 and S4) of the three finger millet genotypes using qualitative and quantitative PCR based approaches. Physiological parameters (plant height, leaf area, chlorophyll content, SPAD value and photosynthetic efficiency) at the time of flowering was found to be highest in white (PRM-801) genotype followed by golden (PRM-701) and brown (PRM-1) genotype. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that the expression of Dof1 is highest in leaves and lowest in roots, which suggests its role in regulation of photosynthesis-related genes and carbon skeleton synthesis. Also at grain maturity stage, expression of Dof1 was higher in white (PRM-801) genotype followed by golden (PRM-701) and brown (PRM-1) genotype. The result is suggestive of Dof1 role in the accumulation of grain protein and yield attribute through regulation of key enzymes involved in source to sink relationship during grain filling stage.