Proso millet belongs to the Family Poaceae, Subfamily Panicoideae, Genus Panicum and Species Panicum miliaceum L. Its most popular common name ‘proso millet’ comes from the pan-Slavic general and generic name for millet (Croatian: proso, Serbian: просо). The vernacular names Chena, Barri (Hindi), Vari (Marathi), Baragu (Kannada), Variga (Telugu), Pani Varagu (Tamil), Cheena (Bengali), Cheno (Gujrati), Bacharibagmu, china bachari bagmu (Oriya), Cheena (Punjabi). Proso millet has a chromosome number of 2n = 36 with basic chromosome number of x = 9. It is suggested that proso millet may have allotetraploid origins with Panicum capillare (or a close relative) as a maternal ancestor and the other genome coming from Panicum repens based on its nuclear and chloroplast genomes. Proso millet is still widely considered as a self-pollinated crop despite the possibility of natural cross-pollination. Proso millet is not easily amenable to crossing and hybridisation due to smaller size of inflorescence and high rate of self pollination. Proso millet seeds exhibit a variety of colours, from white, cream, yellow, orange, red, black, to brown and are generally smaller than pearl millet seeds. Proso millet is a C4 crop with short-duration grown for food and forage purposes and can efficiently fix carbon under drought conditions, high temperatures, and limited nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Proso millet is an annual cereal crop domesticated approximately 10,000 years ago in the semiarid regions of China. It is primarily grown in India, Nigeria, Niger, and China. Proso millet is used in Europe and North America as fodder and birdseed despite its highly nutritive and health-promoting benefits. Due to the crop's remarkably high water-use efficiency and short growing season (60–100 days), it can escape drought. These attributes also make it suitable for crop rotation. Proso millet grows well on marginal lands with low input and water. Proso millet has been used as a rotational crop in the winter wheat-fallow cropping system in the western Great Plains of the USA owing to its high water-use efficiency. This practice not only prevents the loss of organic matter from the no-till soil but also reduces weed and disease pressure. Regardless of the impeccable environmental and health benefits of proso millet, it remains as an under researched and underutilized crop. There are more than 29,000 germplasm collections of proso millet conserved worldwide. China, India, Russia, and Ukraine have the key collections. The development of proso millet cultivars which are high yielding, lodging and seed-shattering tolerant, direct combine-ready and nutrient enriched, would promote its increased cultivation, and use in the food industry. In India, there are currently 24 varieties of proso millet. Varieties released in India through hybridization are 25% of all proso millet varieties. Majority of the varieties have been developed through selection from landraces. India is the largest producer of millets in the world, producing 11.64 million tonnes. In India, important states cultivating the crop are Madhya Pradesh, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Proso millet is ready for harvest after 65-75 days of sowing in most of the varieties. Harvest the crop when it is about to mature. The seeds in the tip of upper heads ripe and shatter before the lower seeds and later panicles get matured. 10-15 q grain and 30-40 q of fresh straw per ha under rainfed condition can be obtained. In this review article on Origin, Domestication, Taxonomy, Botanical Description, Genetics and Cytogenetics, Genetic Diversity, Breeding, Uses, Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of Proso Millet are discussed.
