The Mutant Millets program takes authentic, discovery research in modern agriculture into undergraduate laboratories using a phenotyping platform of mutant green foxtail millet (Setaria viridis) families. Green foxtail millet is a small, fast-growing grass related to several economically important cereals such as corn, sorghum, and sugarcane. Currently, it is being used as a model plant for engineering C4 photosynthetic traits into C3 plants to improve photosynthesis, carbon allocation, biomass gains, and eventually, enhancement of biofuel production. Through the Mutant Millets CURE (Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience) program, students partner with Danforth Plant Science Center (DDPSC) scientists to enrich their scientific knowledge, phenotyping and research skills by engaging in cutting edge plant science research. Students are provided with seed from wild type and a chemically mutagenized population of S. viridis at the M2 generation, with unknown mutations. Students grow the plants from seed to seed during the course of a semester in order to conduct genetic screens for mutations affecting plant morphology, part of gene discovery using forward genetic screens. Students are challenged to apply their learning to the process of mutant identification as they collect and synthesize data on plant traits such as seed germination, plant height, tillering, panicle emergence, leaf color, seed set, and seed quality. Environmental growth conditions, such as temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, and watering frequency, are recorded to emphasize the importance of favorable and standardized growth conditions. Once students identify a mutant with a visible phenotype, they can proceed to elucidate the inheritance and segregation patterns of the causative gene for the identified mutant, a critical step towards gene mapping. These data are shared through the Mutant Millets website and used by scientists to further our understanding of plant biology and to advance crop improvement efforts.
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