Finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn. subsp. coracana) is the most important millet in eastern Africa and perhaps the oldest domesticated cereal grain in Africa. One of the major factors limiting finger millet production is blast disease caused by the fungus Magnaporthe grisea. Crop wild relatives and landraces present a potential source of novel genes. This study investigated the response of cultivated and wild relatives of finger millet to an isolate of blast disease from western Kenya. Previous germplasm collections were purified through two generations of single‐seed descent before screening alongside improved and farmer‐preferred varieties (FPVs) under a screen house across three seasons. Farmer‐preferred varieties were identified through participatory varietal selection (PVS). The plants were inoculated twice during each growth period using hand‐spraying method and data on disease incidence recorded at grain‐filling stage. Genotypic data was generated using diversity arrays technology (DArT) sequencing and data analysis done using Genstat 18.2 and TASSEL 5.2.58. We observed high heritability (81%), indicating that the variation observed was predominantly genetic. Wild accessions were generally more resistant to the disease in comparison to the cultivated accessions. Preliminary genome‐wide association study (GWAS) using general linear model with principal component analysis led to the identification of 19 markers associated with blast disease that will be be developed into assays for genotype quality control and trait introgression. Wild accessions and landraces of finger millet present a good reservoir for novel genes that can be incorporated into crop improvement programs.

中文翻译：

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抗小米瘟病的新来源

手指小米（Eleusine coracana（L.）Gaertn。subsp。coracana）是东非最重要的小米，也许是非洲最古老的驯化谷物。限制小米生产的主要因素之一是由稻瘟病菌Magnaporthe grisea引起的瘟病。作物野生近缘种和地方品种是新基因的潜在来源。这项研究调查了手指粟的栽培和野生近缘种对肯尼亚西部一种瘟疫病菌的反应。过去的种质收集经过两代单种子后代纯化，然后在三个季节的筛选室内与改良的和农民偏爱的品种（FPV）进行筛选。通过参与式品种选择（PVS）确定了农民偏爱的品种。在每个生长期使用手喷方法对植物接种两次，并在灌浆期记录疾病发病率数据。基因型数据使用多样性阵列技术（DArT）测序生成，并使用Genstat 18.2和TASSEL 5.2.58进行数据分析。我们观察到高遗传力（81％），表明观察到的变异主要是遗传的。与栽培种相比，野生种通常对这种疾病具有更强的抵抗力。初步的全基因组关联研究（GWAS）使用具有主要成分分析的通用线性模型，导致鉴定了19种与原始病相关的标记，这些标记将被开发用于基因型质量控制和性状渗入的测定。小米的野生种和地方种为新的基因提供了良好的贮藏库，可以将其纳入作物改良计划。初步的全基因组关联研究（GWAS）使用具有主要成分分析的通用线性模型，导致鉴定了19种与原始病相关的标记，这些标记将被开发用于基因型质量控制和性状渗入的测定。小米的野生种和地方种为新的基因提供了良好的贮藏库，可以将其纳入作物改良计划。初步的全基因组关联研究（GWAS）使用具有主要成分分析的通用线性模型，导致鉴定了19种与原始病相关的标记，这些标记将被开发用于基因型质量控制和性状渗入的测定。小米的野生种和地方种为新的基因提供了良好的贮藏库，可以将其纳入作物改良计划。