ABSTRACT
Sequencing of different crop genomes resulted into availablilty of massive sequence information in public databases. Now, it is essential to utilize this information to identify and isolate superior and novel alleles of agronomically important traits from various crop gene pools in order to utilize it for development of improved cultivars. Allele discovery is more important today because molecular breeding is being used to create crop varieties that are tailored to consumer needs. Genome plasticity is also being used to adapt to climate change scenarios using targeted and precision breeding tools that have been validated by phenomics and genomics research. With potential applications in crop development programs, allele mining is a potential method for analyzing naturally occurring allelic variation or candidate genes affecting important traits. It supports the generation of allele-specific markers to utilize in marker-assisted selection, tracking of allele evolution and discovery of novel haplotypes. In order to use allele mining in pearl millet improvement, various initiatives and concentrated allele mining activities are necessary in light of the enormous potential of this technique.
