Orphan small grain cereals highly contribute to food and nutrition security worldwide, although the genetic and genomic resources for these cereals are far less available compared to major grain cereals. Consequently, there is low progress in their genetic improvement notwithstanding the high nutrient content, diversity, and health benefits of many of them. Therefore, additional efforts are expected to improve our understanding of the genes related to important agronomic traits. In this review, we provide an overview of achievements and bottlenecks in orphan small cereals improvement. We point out the need for the generation of basic knowledge that should guide the initial breeding process of orphan small cereals. Focusing on fonio, we showed how conventional breeding combined with advances in next-generation sequencing technologies could potentially speed up the genetic improvement of the crop. Furthermore, a comprehensive action plan that integrates research, technological development and dissemination, and value chain improvement was illustrated in this review. These actions will foster the economy of West African fonio millet through wider cultivation, marketing, and consumption.

中文翻译：

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用基因组学辅助育种西非小米的综合计划审查孤儿小谷物谷物改良

孤儿小粒谷物对世界范围内的粮食和营养安全做出了重大贡献，尽管与主要谷物相比，这些谷物的遗传和基因组资源要少得多。因此，尽管它们中的许多具有高营养含量、多样性和健康益处，但它们的遗传改良进展缓慢。因此，预计将进一步努力提高我们对与重要农艺性状相关的基因的理解。在这篇综述中，我们概述了孤儿小谷物改良的成就和瓶颈。我们指出需要培养指导孤儿小谷物初始育种过程的基础知识。专注于fonio，我们展示了传统育种与下一代测序技术的进步相结合如何有可能加速作物的遗传改良。此外，本次审查还说明了一项综合行动计划，该计划将研究、技术开发和传播以及价值链改进相结合。这些行动将通过更广泛的种植、营销和消费来促进西非小米的经济。