title: Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceumL.) and Its Potential for Cultivation in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.: A Review.
abstract: Proso millet(Panicum miliaceumL.)is a warm season grass with a growing season of 60-100 days. It is a highly nutritious cereal grain used for human consumption, bird seed, and/or ethanol production. Unique characteristics, such as drought and heat tolerance, make proso millet a promising alternative cash crop for the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the United States. Development of proso millet varieties adapted to dryland farming regions of the PNW could give growers a much-needed option for diversifying their predominantly wheat-based cropping systems. In this review, the agronomic characteristics of proso millet are discussed, with emphasis on growth habits and environmental requirements, place in prevailing crop rotations in the PNW, and nutritional and health benefits. The genetics of proso millet and the genomic resources available for breeding adapted varieties are also discussed. Last, challenges and opportunities of proso millet cultivation in the PNW are explored, including the potential for entering novel and regional markets.
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Seed Systems Lab, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Cedric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Habiyaremye
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Seed Systems Lab, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Janet B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Matanguihan
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Washington State University Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Jade
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: D'Alpoim Guedes
authors.affiliation: Food Processing Lab, School of Food Science, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Girish M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ganjyal
authors.affiliation: International Programs, International Research and Agricultural Development, Washington State University Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Whiteman
authors.affiliation: College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberlee K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Kidwell
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Seed Systems Lab, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Washington State University Pullman, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Murphy
keywords: Pacific Northwest; alternative crops; diversification; genetics; nutrition and health benefits; proso millet