VARIATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOXTAIL MILLET (SETARIA-ITALICA P BEAUV) IN THE MOUNTAINOUS AREAS OF NORTHERN PAKISTAN

The characteristics of landraces of foxtail millet (Setaria italica P. Beauv.) collected in the mountainous areas of northern Pakistan were compared with Eurasian strains. Seventy-one strains from northern Paki stan were divided into three groups, the Chitral group, the Baltistan group and the Dir group according to the combination of characters. Th e Chitral group was characterized by early heading and very short plan t height. It had a large number of tillers and short conical panicles with long bristles similar to those of green foxtail (S. viridis P. Be auv.), the probable ancestor of foxtail millet. The Baltistan group wa s distinguished blv early heading, short plant height and a non-tiller ing habit that had only one conical panicle with short bristles. The D ir group was intermediate to late heading and tall plant height. It ha d a large number of tillers with long-conical panicles. Orange colored anther and elliptic grain with lucid lemma and palea were observed in the Chitral group acid the Dir group. The Baltistan group had white a nther and round shaped non-lucid grain. Strains with a negative phenol color reaction were frequently found in the Chitral group and the Bal tistan group. Of six strains of the Dir group examined, two showed a p ositive reaction but three showed a negative one. The Chitral group co ntained three strains with shattering habit. The distribution areas of these three groups were clearly isolated from each other. Also, these three groups had three different local names obtained by field inform ation. This tells us that farmers of these areas maintain not only the ir specific landraces but also the names by which they are called. Com paring Eurasian strains with those grown in Kyoto, the distinctive cha racters of the Chitral group, the Baltistan group and the Dir group we re similar to the strains of different regions of Eurasia. It is point ed out that these three groups of foxtail millet grown in the mountain ous areas of northern Pakistan are phylogenetically distinct.