A complete reference genome of broomcorn millet.

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.), known for its traits of drought resistance, adaptability to poor soil, short growth period, and high photosynthetic efficiency as a C4 plant, represents one of the earliest domesticated crops globally. This study reports the telomere-to-telomere (T2T) gap-free reference genome for broomcorn millet (AJ8) using PacBio high-fidelity (HiFi) long reads, Oxford Nanopore long-read technologies and high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) sequencing data. The size of AJ8 genome was approximately 834.7 Mb, anchored onto 18 pseudo-chromosomes. Notably, 18 centromeres and 36 telomeres were obtained. The assembled genome showed high quality in terms of completeness (BUSCO score: 99.6%, QV: 61.7, LAI value: 20.4). In addition, 63,678 protein-coding genes and 433.8 Mb (~52.0%) repetitive sequences were identified. The complete reference genome for broomcorn millet provides a valuable resource for genetic studies and breeding of this important cereal crop.

Pangenome analysis reveals genomic variations associated with domestication traits in broomcorn millet.

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is an orphan crop with the potential to improve cereal production and quality, and ensure food security. Here we present the genetic variations, population structure and diversity of a diverse worldwide collection of 516 broomcorn millet genomes. Population analysis indicated that the domesticated broomcorn millet originated from its wild progenitor in China. We then constructed a graph-based pangenome of broomcorn millet based on long-read de novo genome assemblies of 32 representative accessions. Our analysis revealed that the structural variations were highly associated with transposable elements, which influenced gene expression when located in the coding or regulatory regions. We also identified 139 loci associated with 31 key domestication and agronomic traits, including candidate genes and superior haplotypes, such as LG1, for panicle architecture. Thus, the study's findings provide foundational resources for developing genomics-assisted breeding programs in broomcorn millet.

A graph-based genome and pan-genome variation of the model plant Setaria.

Setaria italica (foxtail millet), a founder crop of East Asian agriculture, is a model plant for C4 photosynthesis and developing approaches to adaptive breeding across multiple climates. Here we established the Setaria pan-genome by assembling 110 representative genomes from a worldwide collection. The pan-genome is composed of 73,528 gene families, of which 23.8%, 42.9%, 29.4% and 3.9% are core, soft core, dispensable and private genes, respectively; 202,884 nonredundant structural variants were also detected. The characterization of pan-genomic variants suggests their importance during foxtail millet domestication and improvement, as exemplified by the identification of the yield gene SiGW3, where a 366-bp presence/absence promoter variant accompanies gene expression variation. We developed a graph-based genome and performed large-scale genetic studies for 68 traits across 13 environments, identifying potential genes for millet improvement at different geographic sites. These can be used in marker-assisted breeding, genomic selection and genome editing to accelerate crop improvement under different climatic conditions.

Enhancing Sodium-Ion Energy Storage of Commercial Activated Carbon by Constructing Closed Pores via Ball Milling.

Mechanical ball milling is a prevalent technology for material preparation and also serves as a post-treatment method to modify electrode materials, thus enhancing electrochemical performances. This study explores the microstructure modification of commercial activated carbon through mechanical ball milling, proving its efficacy in increasing sodium-ion energy storage. The evolution of activated carbon's physical and chemical properties during ball milling was systematically examined. It was observed that the quantity of closed pores and the graphitization degree in activated carbon increased with extended ball milling duration. The sodium storage mechanism in activated carbon transitions to an insertion-pore filling process, significantly elevating platform capacity. Additionally, ball-milled activated carbon demonstrates remarkable long-term cycling stability (92% capacity retention over 200 cycles at 200 mA g-1) and rate performance. This research offers a novel approach to developing advanced anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

Regeneration and usage of commercial activated carbon from the waste electrodes for the application of supercapacitors.

Currently, efficient and cost-effective recycling of waste capacitors is a pressing issue. In this study, the recovery of electrode powder from waste supercapacitors and enabling the reuse of the prepared samples are reported. The recovered powder is directly activated by mixing it with KOH using chemical activation to regenerate the waste-activated carbon. The regenerated activated carbon's specific surface area could be restored to a level similar to that of the original commercial powder, reaching 1803.15 m2/g. The regenerated activated carbon has a high proportion of microporous, which played a crucial role in its electrochemical performance. The samples' capacity in the organic system reached 125.96 F/g at 0.2 A/g and 111.77 F/g at 20 A/g, with a retention rate of 88.74%. Furthermore, the capacitance was maintained at 91.18% after 10,000 cycles, showing good cycling performance. Additionally, the supercapacitor assembled from the regenerated activated carbon delivered a high energy density of 31.83 Wh/kg and a power density of 269.76 W/kg, indicating great application potential. Overall, this study offers a useful and low-cost approach for recycling activated carbon from waste electrodes, which would be possible for supercapacitors recycling.

Transcriptome Sequencing and Metabolome Analysis Reveals the Molecular Mechanism of Drought Stress in Millet.

As one of the oldest agricultural crops in China, millet (Panicum miliaceum) has powerful drought tolerance. In this study, transcriptome and metabolome analyses of 'Hequ Red millet' (HQ) and 'Yanshu No.10' (YS10) millet after 6 h of drought stress were performed. Transcriptome characteristics of drought stress in HQ and YS10 were characterized by Pacbio full-length transcriptome sequencing. The pathway analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that the highly enriched categories were related to starch and sucrose metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, metabolic pathways, and the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites when the two millet varieties were subjected to drought stress. Under drought stress, 245 genes related to energy metabolism were found to show significant changes between the two strains. Further analysis showed that 219 genes related to plant hormone signal transduction also participated in the drought response. In addition, numerous genes involved in anthocyanin metabolism and photosynthesis were confirmed to be related to drought stress, and these genes showed significant differential expression and played an important role in anthocyanin metabolism and photosynthesis. Moreover, we identified 496 transcription factors related to drought stress, which came from 10 different transcription factor families, such as bHLH, C3H, MYB, and WRKY. Further analysis showed that many key genes related to energy metabolism, such as citrate synthase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and ATP synthase, showed significant upregulation, and most of the structural genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis also showed significant upregulation in both strains. Most genes related to plant hormone signal transduction showed upregulated expression, while many JA and SA signaling pathway-related genes were downregulated. Metabolome analysis was performed on 'Hequ red millet' (HQ) and 'Yanshu 10' (YS10), a total of 2082 differential metabolites (DEMs) were identified. These findings indicate that energy metabolism, anthocyanins, photosynthesis, and plant hormones are closely related to the drought resistance of millet and adapt to adversity by precisely regulating the levels of various molecular pathways.

Fermented Minor Grain Foods: Classification, Functional Components, and Probiotic Potential.

Fermented minor grain (MG) foods often have unique nutritional value and functional characteristics, which are important for developing dietary culture worldwide. As a kind of special raw material in fermented food, minor grains have special functional components, such as trace elements, dietary fiber, and polyphenols. Fermented MG foods have excellent nutrients, phytochemicals, and bioactive compounds and are consumed as a rich source of probiotic microbes. Thus, the purpose of this review is to introduce the latest progress in research related to the fermentation products of MGs. Specific discussion is focused on the classification of fermented MG foods and their nutritional and health implications, including studies of microbial diversity, functional components, and probiotic potential. Furthermore, this review discusses how mixed fermentation of grain mixtures is a better method for developing new functional foods to increase the nutritional value of meals based on cereals and legumes in terms of dietary protein and micronutrients.

Genetic control and phenotypic characterization of panicle architecture and grain yield-related traits in foxtail millet (Setaria italica).

KEY MESSAGE: Multi-environment QTL mapping identified 23 stable loci and 34 co-located QTL clusters for panicle architecture and grain yield-related traits, which provide a genetic basis for foxtail millet yield improvement. Panicle architecture and grain weight, both of which are influenced by genetic and environmental factors, have significant effects on grain yield potential. Here, we used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population of 333 lines of foxtail millet, which were grown in 13 trials with varying environmental conditions, to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling nine agronomic traits related to panicle architecture and grain yield. We found that panicle weight, grain weight per panicle, panicle length, panicle diameter, and panicle exsertion length varied across different geographical locations. QTL mapping revealed 159 QTL for nine traits. Of the 159 QTL, 34 were identified in 2 to 12 environments, suggesting that the genetic control of panicle architecture in foxtail millet is sensitive to photoperiod and/or other environmental factors. Eighty-eight QTL controlling different traits formed 34 co-located QTL clusters, including the triple QTL cluster qPD9.2/qPL9.5/qPEL9.3, which was detected 23 times in 13 environments. Several candidate genes, including Seita.2G388700, Seita.3G136000, Seita.4G185300, Seita.5G241500, Seita.5G243100, Seita.9G281300, and Seita.9G342700, were identified in the genomic intervals of multi-environmental QTL or co-located QTL clusters. Using available phenotypic and genotype data, we conducted haplotype analysis for Seita.2G002300 and Seita.9G064000,which showed high correlations with panicle weight and panicle exsertion length, respectively. These results not only provided a basis for further fine mapping, functional studies and marker-assisted selection of traits related to panicle architecture in foxtail millet, but also provide information for comparative genomics analyses of cereal crops.

Characteration and comparative analysis of the whole chloroplast genomes of five common millet (Panicum miliaceum).

Common millet (Panicum miliaceum) is the most valuable and ancient domesticated important crops in the world. We compared five common millet complete chloroplast genomes. A complete map of the variability across the genomes of the five common millet was produced that included single nucleotide variants, InDels, and structural variants, as well as differences in simple sequence repeats and repeat sequences. Molecular phylogeny strongly supported division of the five walnut species into single monophyly with a 100% bootstrap value. The availability of these genomes will provide genetic information for identifying species and hybrids, taxonomy, phylogeny, and evolution in common millet.

QTL mapping for foxtail millet plant height in multi-environment using an ultra-high density bin map.

KEY MESSAGE: Using a fixed RIL population derived from a widely used foxtail millet backbone breeding line and an elite cultivar, we constructed a high-density bin map and identified six novel multi-environment effect QTLs and seven candidate genes for dwarf phenotype. Plant height is an important trait that determines tradeoffs between competition and resource allocation, which is crucial for yield potential. To improve the C4 model plant foxtail millet (Setaria italica) productivity, it is necessary to isolate plant height-related genes that contribute to ideal plant architecture in breeding. In the present study, we generated a foxtail millet population of 333 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from a cross between a backbone line Ai 88 and an elite cultivar Liaogu 1. We evaluated plant height in 13 environmental conditions across 4 years, the mean plant height of the RIL population ranged from 89.5 to 149.9 cm. Using deep re-sequencing data, we constructed a high-density bin map with 3744 marker bins. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping identified 26 QTLs significantly associated with plant height. Of these, 13 QTLs were repeatedly detected under multiple environments, including six novel QTLs that have not been reported before. Seita.1G242300, a gene encodes gibberellin 2-oxidase-8, which was detected in nine environments in a 1.54-Mb interval of qPH1.3, was considered as an important candidate gene. Moreover, other six genes involved in GA biosynthesis or signaling pathways, and fifteen genes encode F-box domain proteins which might function as E3 ligases, were also considered as candidate genes in different QTLs. These QTLs and candidate genes identified in this study will help to elucidate the genetic basis of foxtail millet plant height, and the linked markers will be useful for marker-assistant selection of varieties with ideal plant architecture and high yield potential.

Plant Stage, Not Drought Stress, Determines the Effect of Cultivars on Bacterial Community Diversity in the Rhizosphere of Broomcorn Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.).

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is one of the oldest domesticated crops and has been grown in arid and semiarid areas in China since 10,000 cal. BP. However, limited information is available about how bacterial communities within the rhizosphere of different broomcorn millet cultivars respond to drought stress. Here, we characterized the changes in the rhizobacterial assemblages of two broomcorn millet cultivars, namely, P. miliaceum cv. HeQu Red (HQR) and P. miliaceum YanLi 10 (YL10), from the jointing stage to the grain filling stage after they were exposed to a short-term drought stress treatment at the seedling stage. Drought significantly inhibited the growth of both cultivars, but the effect on YL10 was higher than that on HQR, indicating that the drought tolerance of HQR was greater than that of YL10. Proteobacteria (33.8%), Actinobacteria (21.0%), Acidobacteria (10.7%), Bacteroidetes (8.2%), Chloroflexi (6.3%), Gemmatimonadetes (5.9%), Firmicutes (3.5%), Verrucomicrobia (2.9%), and Planctomycetes (2.7%) were the core bacterial components of broomcorn millet rhizosphere as suggested by 16S rDNA sequencing results. The diversity and composition of bacterial rhizosphere communities substantially varied at different developmental stages of broomcorn millet. As the plants matured, the richness and evenness of the rhizobacterial community significantly decreased. Principal coordinate analysis showed that the structure of the bacterial rhizosphere community changed notably only at the flowering stage between the two cultivars, suggesting a stage-dependent effect. Although drought stress had no significant effect on the diversity and structure of the bacterial rhizosphere community between the two cultivars, differential responses to drought was found in Actinobacteria and Acinetobacter, Lysobacter, Streptomyces, and Cellvibrio. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria and Lysobacter, Streptomyces, and Cellvibrio in the YL10 rhizosphere was stimulated by the drought treatment compared with that in the HQR rhizosphere, whereas the opposite effect was found in Acinetobacter. Our results suggested that the effects of cultivars on bacterial rhizosphere communities were highly dependent on plant developmental stage, reflecting the genetic variations in the two broomcorn millet cultivars.

Non-Stationary Platform Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar Maneuvering Target Imaging Based on Phase Retrieval.

As a powerful signal processing tool for imaging moving targets, placing radar on a non-stationary platform (such as an aerostat) is a future direction of Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) systems. However, more phase errors are introduced into the received signal due to the instability of the radar platform, making it difficult for popular algorithms to accurately perform motion compensation, which leads to severe effects in the resultant ISAR images. Moreover, maneuvering targets may have complex motion whose motion parameters are unknown to radar systems. To overcome the issue of non-stationary platform ISAR autofocus imaging, a high-resolution imaging method based on the phase retrieval principle is proposed in this paper. Firstly, based on the spatial geometric and echo models of the ISAR maneuvering target, we can deduce that the radial motion of the radar platform or the vibration does not affect the modulus of the ISAR echo signal, which provides a theoretical basis for the phase recovery theory for the ISAR imaging. Then, we propose an oversampling smoothness (OSS) phase retrieval algorithm with prior information, namely, the phase of the blurred image obtained by the classical imaging algorithm replaces the initial random phase in the original OSS algorithm. In addition, the size of the support domain of the OSS algorithm is set with respect to the blurred target image. Experimental simulation shows that compared with classical imaging methods, the proposed method can obtain the resultant motion-compensated ISAR image without estimating the radar platform and maneuvering target motion parameters, wherein the fictitious target is perfectly focused.

Detection of genomic loci associated with chromosomal recombination using high-density linkage mapping in Setaria.

Meiotic recombination is essential to sexual reproduction and the generation of genetic diversity. Variation in recombination rates is presently of particular interest due to efforts being made to increase the rate of genetic gain in agricultural crops by breaking up large linkage disequilibrium blocks containing both beneficial and detrimental alleles. Here, a high-density genetic linkage map of Setaria was constructed using tunable genotyping by sequencing (tGBS) analysis of a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs). Several regions of the Setaria genome exhibited significant levels of segregation distortion (SD), and recombination crossovers (COs) were also detected. The regions with high SD generally tended to have fewer COs, particularly for pericentromeric chromosomal areas. Recombination crossovers detected in Setaria were unevenly distributed across the genome and occurred more often in intergenic regions. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) contributing towards the recombination frequency (Type I) and occurrence of COs in designated loci (Type II) were identified, and Type II QTLs garnered higher statistical power. The result of this study suggest that QTLs analysis of Type II traits using RILs might provide an opportunity to further understand meiotic recombination using high throughput genome sequencing and genotyping technologies.

The Tartary Buckwheat Genome Provides Insights into Rutin Biosynthesis and Abiotic Stress Tolerance.

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) is an important pseudocereal crop that is strongly adapted to growth in adverse environments. Its gluten-free grain contains complete proteins with a well-balanced composition of essential amino acids and is a rich source of beneficial phytochemicals that provide significant health benefits. Here, we report a high-quality, chromosome-scale Tartary buckwheat genome sequence of 489.3 Mb that is assembled by combining whole-genome shotgun sequencing of both Illumina short reads and single-molecule real-time long reads, sequence tags of a large DNA insert fosmid library, Hi-C sequencing data, and BioNano genome maps. We annotated 33 366 high-confidence protein-coding genes based on expression evidence. Comparisons of the intra-genome with the sugar beet genome revealed an independent whole-genome duplication that occurred in the buckwheat lineage after they diverged from the common ancestor, which was not shared with rosids or asterids. The reference genome facilitated the identification of many new genes predicted to be involved in rutin biosynthesis and regulation, aluminum stress resistance, and in drought and cold stress responses. Our data suggest that Tartary buckwheat's ability to tolerate high levels of abiotic stress is attributed to the expansion of several gene families involved in signal transduction, gene regulation, and membrane transport. The availability of these genomic resources will facilitate the discovery of agronomically and nutritionally important genes and genetic improvement of Tartary buckwheat.

Soil bacterial diversity changes in different broomcorn millet intercropping systems.

Plants growing in soil and the diverse microorganisms with which they are in direct contact have adapted to exploit their close association for mutual benefit. Various intercropping systems have been used to control plant disease and improve productivity in fields. Although high-throughput sequencing approaches have provided new insights into the soil bacterial community, current knowledge of intercropping of broomcorn millet with different leguminous plants is limited. In this study, characterization of different bacterial communities of monoculture and intercropping systems was achieved by deep sequencing. A total of 4684 operational taxonomic units were classified to the species level with good sampling depth and sequencing coverage. The abundance of Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Gemmatimonadetes varied at different growth stages and was related to growth of the intercropped plant. According to diversity analyses, Glycomyces, Aeromicrobium, Adhaeribacter, and Streptomyces were the dominant genera. In addition, we predicted functional gene composition based on bacterial OTUs present. Functional results showed that membrane transport and nutrient metabolism was highly abundant in all samples, although abundance varied at different growth stages, which indicated these pathways might be affected by the dominant categories of bacterial community. The dynamic changes observed during intercropping of broomcorn millet with different leguminous plants suggest that soil bacterial community structure exhibits a crop species-specific pattern. Further, agronomic trait data from different broomcorn millet intercropping systems were consistent with functional results and suggest that agronomic traits may be influenced by soil bacterial communities.

Carbon nanotube-reinforced mesoporous hydroxyapatite composites with excellent mechanical and biological properties for bone replacement material application.

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced mesoporous hydroxyapatite (HA) composites with excellent mechanical and biological properties were fabricated successfully by the in situ chemical deposition of mesoporous HA on homogeneously dispersed CNTs. The CNTs are first synthesized in situ on HA nanopowders by chemical vapor deposition, and then, the HA particles with mesoporous structures are deposited in situ onto the as-grown CNTs by using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide as templates to form mesoporous HA encapsulated CNTs (CNT@meso-HA). The modification of CNTs by mesoporous HA leads to strong CNT-HA interfacial bonding, resulting in efficient load transfer between CNT and HA and improved mechanical properties of CNT/HA composites. More importantly, the mesoporous HA structure has a high specific surface area and large surface roughness that greatly promote the cell adhesion and proliferation, resulting in better biocompatibility and improved osteoblast viability (MC3T3-E1) compared to those fabricated by traditional methods. Therefore, the obtained CNT@meso-HA composites are expected to be promising materials for bone regeneration and implantation applications.

The complete chloroplast genome of Panicum miliaceum.

Panicum miliaceum is the most important and ancient domesticated crops in the world. The complete chloroplast genome of P. miliaceum was sequenced using the Illumina Hiseq platform (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA). The chloroplast genome of P. miliaceum was 139,929 bp in length, with 38.60% GC content. It contains a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) (22,723 bp) which were separated by a large single copy (LSC) (81,918 bp) and a small single copy region (SSC) (12,565 bp). A total of 132 genes were annotated, which included 84 protein coding genes, 40 tRNA genes and eight rRNA genes. The neighbour-joining (NJ) phylogenetic analysis with the reported chloroplast genomes showed that P. miliaceum chloroplasts are most closely related to those of the Gramineae family.

Microbial Diversity and Biochemical Analysis of Suanzhou: A Traditional Chinese Fermented Cereal Gruel.

Suanzhou as a traditional Chinese gruel is fermented from proso millet and millet. The biochemical analysis showed Suanzhou had relatively high concentrations of lactic acid, acetic acid, and free amino acids. The metagenomics of Suanzhou were studied, with the analysis of the V4 region of 16S rRNA gene, the genera Lactobacillus and Acetobacter were found dominant with the average abundance of 58.2 and 24.4%, respectively; and with the analysis of the ITS1 region between 18S and 5.8S rRNA genes, 97.3% of the fungal community was found belonging to the genus Pichia and 2.7% belonging to five other genera. Moreover, the isolates recovered from 59 Suanzhou samples with various media were identified with the 16S rRNA or 18S rRNA gene analyses. Lactobacillus fermentum (26.9%), L. pentosus (19.4%), L. casei (17.9%), and L. brevis (16.4%) were the four dominant Lactobacillus species; Acetobacter lovaniensis (38.1%), A. syzygii (16.7%), A. okinawensis (16.7%), and A. indonesiensis (11.9%) were the four dominant Acetobacter species; and Pichia kudriavzevii (55.8%) and Galactomyces geotrichum (23.1%) were the two dominant fungal species. Additionally, L. pentosus p28-c and L. casei h28-c1 were selected for the fermentations mimicking the natural process. Collectively, our data demonstrate that Suanzhou is a nutritional food high in free amino acids and organic acids. Diverse Lactobacillus, Acetobacter, and yeast species are identified as the dominant microorganisms in Suanzhou. The isolated strains can be further characterized and used as starters for the industrial production of Suanzhou safely.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals key early events of narciclasine signaling in Arabidopsis root apex.

KEY MESSAGE: Histochemical staining and RNA-seq data demonstrated that the ROS- and plant hormone-regulated stress responses are the key early events of narciclasine signaling in Arabidopsis root cells. Narciclasine, an amaryllidaceae alkaloid isolated from Narcissus tazetta bulbs, employs a broad range of functions on plant development and growth. However, its molecular interactions that modulate these roles in plants are not fully understood. To elucidate the global responses of Arabidopsis roots to short-term narciclasine exposure, we first measured the accumulation of H2O2 and O2- with histochemical staining, and then profiled the gene expression pattern in Arabidopsis root tips treated with 0.5 µM narciclasine across different exposure times by RNA-seq. Physiological measurements showed a significant increase in H2O2 began at 30-60 min of narciclasine treatment and O2- accumulated by 120 min. Compared with controls, 236 genes were upregulated and 54 genes were downregulated with 2 h of narciclasine treatment, while 968 genes were upregulated and 835 genes were downregulated with 12 h of treatment. The Gene Ontology analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes were highly enriched during oxidative stress, including those involved in the "regulation of transcription", "response to oxidative stress", "plant-pathogen interaction", "ribonucleotide binding", "plant cell wall organization", and "ribosome biogenesis". Moreover, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment statistics suggested that carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, and biosynthesis of phenylpropanoid and secondary metabolites were significantly inhibited by 12 h of narciclasine exposure. Hence, our results demonstrate that hormones and H2O2 are important regulators of narciclasine signaling and help to uncover the factors involved in the molecular interplay between narciclasine and phytohormones in Arabidopsis root cells.

[Comparison of growth and field microclimate characteristics of broomcorn millet under different fertilization conditions].

A field experiment with two broomcorn millet varieties Longmi 8 (strong drought-resistant variety) and Jinmi 4 (drought-sensitive variety) was conducted to compare their differences in growth, field microclimate and photosynthetic capacity from anthesis to maturity under different fertility conditions. The results showed that, fertilization decreased canopy temperature, air temperature, soil temperature, illumination, but improved the relative humidity among broomcorn millet plants compared with the non-fertilization treatment. With an increase of the fertilizer level, the plant height, SPAD, LAI, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration in broomcorn millet showed an increasing trend, which of the high fertilization treatment were 9.2%, 15.1%, 56.6%, 17.8%, 24.6%, 14.2%, 29.7% higher than those of non-fertilization treatment, respectively. Compared with Jinmi 4, Longmi 8 showed a cold wet characteristic, with lower canopy temperature, air temperature, soil temperature; illumination, and higher plant height, LAI, SPAD and relative humidity during grain filling. Moreover, each photosynthetic index of Longmi 8 slowly decreased and extended the period of leaf photosynthetic function so as to accumulate more photosynthetic products.