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Journal of Integrative Agriculture
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Irrigation modulates appearance, cooking, nutritional, and aroma quality in traditional and modern foxtail millet cultivars

Ke Ma1, 2, Zheng Jia1, 2, Yiru Wang3, Meng Zhao3, Xinya Wen1, 2, Fu Chen1, 2#

1 College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

2 Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing 100193, China

3 College of Agronomy, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China

  Highlights  

Ø The effect of irrigation on foxtail millet quality has significant interannual differences.

Ø The interaction between variety characteristics and irrigation conditions affected quality performance.

Ø Irrigation regulates flavor differences between varieties by regulating terpenoid synthesis.

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摘要  

本研究旨在明确不同灌溉条件下传统与现代谷子品种间的品质差异。以传统品种晋谷6号和现代品种长生13号为材料,对比分析了雨养与灌溉处理对其外观品质、蒸煮品质、营养品质及挥发性代谢物的影响。结果表明,灌溉对谷子品质的影响存在显著的年际差异。在多雨年,灌溉改善了谷子的外观和蒸煮品质,但降低了营养品质,且现代品种的响应程度大于传统品种。在干旱年,灌溉显著抑制了谷子的外观品质和营养品质。此外,灌溉在干旱年份优化了传统品种的蒸煮特性,而降低了现代品种的蒸煮品质。挥发性代谢物分析进一步揭示,灌溉通过调节萜类化合物的生物合成,降低了品种间的风味差异,从而减少了传统品种的不良风味,并增加了现代品种的芳香物质含量。本研究系统阐明了灌溉、品种与气候互作影响谷子品质的内在机制,为优质品种选育和精准水分管理提供了理论依据和实践指导。



Abstract  

This study aimed to clarify the differences in quality between traditional and modern foxtail millet varieties under different irrigation conditions. The traditional variety Jingu 6 and the modern variety Changsheng 13 were used to compare and analyze the effects of rainfed and irrigation treatments on their appearance quality, culinary quality, nutritional quality and volatile metabolites. Significant inter-annual variation was observed in the effect of irrigation on the quality of foxtail millet. In the wet year, irrigation improved appearance and culinary quality but reduced nutritional quality, and the response of the modern variety was greater than that of the traditional variety. During the dry year, irrigation significantly inhibited the appearance and nutritional quality. Additionly, irrigation optimized the culinary characteristics of the traditional variety in drought years but led to a decrease in the culinary quality of the modern variety. An analysis of volatile metabolites further revealed that irrigation reduced flavor differences between varieties by regulating terpenoid biosynthesis, thereby reducing the unpleasant flavor of the traditional variety, and increasing aromatic substance content in the modern variety. This study systematically clarified the internal mechanism of the interaction of irrigation, variety, and climate on the quality of foxtail millet and provided a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the breeding of high-quality varieties and precise water management.

Keywords:  gas chromatography–mass spectrometry       sensory quality       Setaria italica L.       volatile metabolites       cultivars  
Online: 20 January 2026  
Fund: 

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFD1901103). We are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and input.

About author:  #Correspondence Fu Chen, E-mail: chenfu@cau.edu.cn

Cite this article: 

Ke Ma, Zheng Jia, Yiru Wang, Meng Zhao, Xinya Wen, Fu Chen. 2026. Irrigation modulates appearance, cooking, nutritional, and aroma quality in traditional and modern foxtail millet cultivars. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2026.01.027

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